Officer’s Facebook Posts Under Investigation
A Lincoln police officer is under investigation by the city after some residents expressed fears that his recent Facebook posts could lead to police intimidation.
The Lincoln City Council went into executive session during the body’s regular meeting Monday to discuss whether Officer Greg Gunn’s activity on the social networking site Facebook went too far for a law enforcement officer. The council took no action following executive session, but Mayor Rob Hulse announced the situation will be under investigation and the city will seek legal advice, said city councilmember Laurie Smith.
Gunn, the brother of TV judge Mary Ann Gunn, has several posts on Facebook that speak out against candidates running for seats on the Lincoln City Council. In response to one post by Timothy Smith, a city council candidate, Gunn wrote, “Make this clear. I will not vote for you guys. I will avoid you like the plague. I will not work for you.”
Smith said some local citizens have expressed concern to their council members that Gunn’s posts make them feel uncomfortable. Some people also believe their support for candidates Gunn stands against could cause the police department to discriminate against them, two city council candidates said.
In response to a Facebook post promoting the city council candidacies of Kris Roy, Timothy Smith, Matthew Hudgens and Smith, Gunn wrote, “I will not vote for you people. I will not work for you either.”
In another post about the candidates running for office, Gunn wrote, “Yep, the group running for city council the ones with new faces want to take you to new places, yep they will take you around the bowl right through the hole.”
Smith said one local woman is afraid to openly support Smith with a yard sign, for fear of police retaliation.
On his profile page, Gunn downplays his Facebook activity, saying, “Ok listen to me, if you don’t like what I put on F/B stay off of it.”
5NEWS unsuccessfully tried to contact Gunn on Tuesday for comment, but will continue to attempt to talk with the officer.
