4 in Detroit Accused of Social Media Threats to Kill Police

Detroit, MI — Authorities on Sunday accused four Detroit residents of making social media threats to kill white police officers, but formal charges could hinge on the interpretation of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on what constitutes a “true threat.”

The court held in a 2015 ruling that “true threats” are not protected speech, but how the exception applies in different circumstances is uncharted legal territory. Some legal scholars say it applies in only a small range of cases, and whether it’s applicable in the arrests announced by Detroit Police Chief James Craig Sunday is debatable.

“Having a bad thought isn’t necessarily a crime,” Larry Durbin, a law professor at Detroit Mercy School of Law, told The Detroit News.

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Craig said the hostile environment police officers work in today should raise threats against their lives to the same level as threats against the president, which would result in arrests and prosecution.

“How is it any different when someone threatens to kill white cops?” he said.

“Social media is new territory, and while it’s been established that hate speech is protected by the First Amendment, we’re talking about people specifically saying on Facebook they want to kill white police officers,” Craig told The Detroit News.

Craig announced the four people had been arrested Sunday after their alleged threats were discovered by the counter-terrorism unit of the Detroit Police Department.

Detroit police, along with law enforcement agencies across the country, have been on heightened alert after long simmering tensions between black civilians and white police officers boiled over with two officer-involved shootings of African-Americans Alton Sterling in Louisiana and Philando Castile in Minnesota, culminating with the sniper attack at the Black Lives Rally protest in Dallas.

A fourth suspect allegedly professed admiration for Micah Xavier Johnson, the accused sniper.

On Facebook, he allegedly called Johnson a “hero” and said “he inspired me to do the exact same thing.”

Similar threats have been made across the country.

A Louisiana man is accused of showing a handgun in a Facebook video recorded of a police car in front of his vehicle in a drive-through lane. He reportedly said on the video that he wanted to kill the police officer, according to a report in the Shreveport Times.

Elsewhere, a Wisconsin man allegedly called on social media for black men to kill white police officers, and an Illinois woman threatened in an online video to shoot and kill any police officer who pulled her over, the Associated Press reports.

It’s unclear what charges the four Detroiters may face, but Craig said he plans to consult with federal, state and local prosecutors.

“I know this is a new issue, but I want these people charged with crimes,” Craig said. “I’ve directed my officers to prepare warrants for these four individuals, and we’ll see which venue is the best to pursue charges.”

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