“SheepdogCPD” Detective Shawn Popow faces termination

A Chicago Police officer under investigation for a trove of bigoted and racist social media content is set to be dismissed from the department. 

People’s Fabric and Jinx Press first reported on Officer Shawn Popow’s social media posts in November 2023. 

The South Side Chicago Police detective with more than twenty years on the force should be fired over dozens of social media posts disparaging “African Americans, migrants, Muslims, the LGBTQ+ community, and people who are disabled,” wrote investigators with the Civilian Office of Police Accountability in their full summary report. 

“Through his use of social media, Det. Popow has demonstrated that he is unable to treat all Chicago citizens with fairness and equity. His misconduct is particularly egregious for a detective whose written reports and testimony are relied upon by the State to prosecute crimes,” they added.

The full report from civilian investigators, which was obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request, can be read here. Investigators determined that Popow violated six CPD rules.

Investigators first received an anonymous complaint on November 1, 2023 detailing some of Detective Popow’s social media posts on X (formerly known as Twitter) and Facebook accounts where he clearly identified himself as a CPD officer—including a tweet directed at pop star Ariana Grande. They then “located hundreds of racist, xenophobic, transphobic, and other offensive posts, dating as far back as 2018.”

On November 16, 2023, at COPA’s request, CPD relieved Popow of his police powers pending their investigation.

“Det. Popow is unfit to continue serving as a member of the Chicago Police department,” COPA investigators wrote in their final report. On September 3, Superintendent Snelling responded with a short concurrence memo in agreement with their conclusion. 

Popow was found to be operating a Twitter account where he used the screenname Südliche Polizei, translated directly from German as “Southern Police.” His handle, @SheepdogCPD, references a common policing trope wherein cops are the “sheepdogs” protecting sheep (citizens) from wolves. He admitted to investigators that he owned both accounts and had made the racist and transphobic posts. 

When asked why he made specific posts, Popow often referenced “significant memory problems” that he had experienced in recent years.

When asked about an image he posted several times reading “Stupid Ass N**** Award”, Popow explained that the “N-word” ending with an “a” was “a term of endearment,” comparable to words like “buddy” or “pal.” 

COPA investigators questioned Popow’s explanation, “So it’s a term of endearment but… ‘stupid ass’ and then a term of endearment?” to which Popow answered “Correct.”

Another image included a frame from American History X in which a white supremacist kills a black man by “curb stomping” his head. Popow included the caption “I bet yo mama could press your face into dough and make gorilla cookies,” with a laughing emoji.

Popow acknowledged he was familiar with the movie and what was depicted in this scene, but he claimed the post was his “attempt at humor” because his added text came from an episode of Sanford and Sons.

For other posts referenced in the report, Popow had no explanation, and claimed that due to his memory issues, he could not recall why he made the posts. One such example is a “chimpout” meme Popow posted in response to posts showing Black teens twerking or fighting.

Popow referred to the behavior as a “chimpout,” sharing an Urban Dictionary definition of “an aggressive and violent outburst by a black person, such as tantrums of chimpanzees or baboons straight out of National Geographic’s nature shows. O.J. really did chimp out with Nicole by slashing her throat.”

The report also references content that disparaged trans and gender nonconforming individuals.  Popow shared some of this content from other sources, but also admitted to making some transphobic memes himself. He added the word “not” to an image that read “Repeat after us: trans women are women.” 

In another post about International Women’s Day, Popow added the caption “not you” over the image of a trans woman. He explained, “by my definition I would say I recognize female to be anyone with the XX chromosome with a — born having a vagina,” and that four out of five people depicted “qualify by my definition.”

While both COPA and the Superintendent are in agreement on removing Detective Popow from the force for good, a final decision on the matter could rest in the hands of an arbitrator. 

In March, a Cook County judge ruled that police officers accused of serious misconduct have the right to ask an arbitrator to review their case instead of the Chicago Police Board. The FOP is currently appealing part of the ruling mandating the arbitration process hearings take place in public, however.