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Austin Chief Acevedo takes on the city's real public safety threat: Anonymous internet commenters

Apparently all the crime in Texas' capital has been solved, so now, with so much free time on his hands, Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo can pursue the really important public safety issues like going after people who criticize him or the department in anonymous blog comments.Acevedeo is particularly upset at commenters at the Statesman who've claimed to be police officers and vociferously criticized the department. But as Williamson County DA John Bradley noted on the Texas prosecutor user forum, "It is an interesting question as to whether your own employees are damaging office morale by anonymously posting lies about your own personnel." According to the Statesman ("Police ready to 'take on' commenters, chief says," Sept. 18):The effort to crack down on potentially illegal statements or comments that are possibly libelous ? those published with the goal of defaming a person ? is the second time in recent months that the department has confronted new social media...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on September 18, 2009 (boomark / email).