Clackamas County Sheriff's Deputy Posts About Public on Facebook

By KATE WILLSON

A Clackamas County Sheriff's deputy has been using his Facebook page to discuss his police work, attracting the attention of a watchdog group.

Deputy Robby Nashif has been posting photos and comments on his personal Facebook page making light of people with whom he interacts while on duty. For example, he posted a photo of a motorcyclist stopped for speeding with the caption, “Another one bites the dust.” 

Another image Nashif posted on Facebook appears to show a homeless man holding a sign at a busy intersection. It is actually Nashif working undercover.

"Operation hobo!!!! Love it !!!" one of Nashif's Facebook commenters wrote..

While Nashif's Facebook page is accessible only to friends, Chris Ponte, who publishes a blog called Copblock.com, has been writing about it.

Ponte's blog says its mission is to "bring to light any misconduct and highlight the double standards that some grant to those with badges."

Lt. Robert Wurpes, a spokesman for the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, said his office currently doesn't have a position on Nashif's Facebook postings but that his department's policy on social media condones posts "to the degree that their speech does not impair working relationships of the sheriff's office for which loyalty and confidentiality are important, impede the performance of duties, impair discipline and harmony among coworkers, or negatively affect the public perception of the CCSO and County."

"We don't have a way to monitoring every person's social media accounts to see if they are following policy," says Wurpes, who had also commented on Nashif's posts. "Humans make mistakes, and we are human."

 
 

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