Elmhurst Politician Suspended From Cop Job For Social Media Issue

ELMHURST, IL — Sean Noonan, an Elmhurst-based DuPage County Board member who "liked" a controversial Facebook post about rioters last month, was suspended from his job as a police officer for 20 hours. Despite the discipline, his boss said Noonan has had an "outstanding" career.

Noonan also was disciplined when he was cited for wearing his Bloomingdale Police Department uniform in instances that were not approved by the director of public safety.

Through a public records request, DuPage County citizen watchdog Edgar Pal obtained the documents dealing with Noonan's discipline.

According to the documents, Noonan, who represents District 2 on the DuPage County Board, "liked" the comment by a Facebook friend on May 30. The comment read, "Sean, as awful as it sounds, until a few rioters are shot dead, and their bodies left in the street for the wolves, there's no message law-abiding people and the officers that protect them can send to these terrorists to instill fear and good behavior in them."

In another post, Noonan referred to people rioting in the Chicago area as "ruthless animals," the report said.

The issue of Noonan's "liking" the post about shooting rioters came up during the county board's June 9 meeting. A number of residents complained, mentioning his employment as a Bloomingdale officer. At the time, Noonan, a 13-year officer with the department, acknowledged he "liked" the post. He said he was "reacting" to the post and didn't agree with or condone the message by his Facebook friend.

During the course of the internal investigation, the department found recent photos of Noonan on his Facebook page while he was dressed in his police uniform, according to the report. In one instance, he appears to be in front of a house endorsing a sign by ER2 Image Group. And in another, he is standing in front of Bloomingdale's D's Treats after winning some type of contest by the business.

According to the report, Noonan clearly violated the department's policies by "liking" a Facebook post "insinuating that rioters should be shot and left in the streets" and referring to rioters as "ruthless animals."

Specifically, the report said, Noonan's statements consisted of speech that tended to compromise or damage the department's mission or reputation because it appeared to disregard the law and the U.S. Constitution and demonstrate support for criminal activity.

"It is strongly recommended that Officer Noonan identifies the proper balance between his personal social networking, his position as a police officer at the Bloomingdale Police Department and his role as an elected official for the DuPage County Board," the report said. "If these three pillars continue to create conflict and bring discredit to the Bloomingdale Police Department, Noonan should strongly consider removing himself from his elected position in government and focus solely on being a member of our agency."

In a message to Patch, Noonan, a Republican, said the police department's internal report accurately described what happened.

"I'm sorry for the mistake I made," Noonan said. "I hope others will learn from my mistake. Please, take the time to study what you are liking or posting before doing so.

"I was scrolling through social media late that night while listening to the Chicago Police scanner," he said. "My attention was drawn to intensity of emotions that were being expressed in the city and over the police radio when I clicked 'like' on a post."

In a phone interview, Frank Giammarese, Bloomingdale's public safety director, said he could "confidently say that Officer Noonan has had an outstanding career." He said Noonan made an error in judgment.

"This is not indicative of the kind of police officer he is or how he represents the village of Bloomingdale Police Department," Giammarese said. "We dealt with it accordingly. We're moving forward."

According to the documents, Noonan was suspended June 18 and 19.

His district includes Elmhurst and parts of Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills, among other towns. He is one of three members representing District 2.

Late last month, another District 2 board member, Pete DiCianni, took part in a Blue Lives Matter protest. Afterward, one of his constituents emailed DiCianni's official account to criticize his participation and demand his resignation. In response, DiCianni responded, "Go stick you(r) vote in your a--! I stood up for the cops today."

Patch's publication of the exchange resulted in a fierce online debate over whether DiCianni, a former Elmhurst mayor, correctly handled the constituent's email.