It’s been awhile since we have reported on social media activities that result in an employee’s termination.  An Illinois municipality recently fired its police chief for posting a meme on his personal Facebook page that showed people looting from a store, with the following caption:

Looting….when free housing, free food, and free education just aren’t enough

The village issued a press release about the termination:

We hold all of our public officials to the highest standards in their personal and professional lives in Orland Hills. This social media post is in incredibly poor taste. It does not reflect the values of the people of our community, and we will not tolerate such behavior from any of our public officials.

Just another reminder that employees should be mindful of what they post on social media. It is important to consider that “personal” does not necessarily mean “private” when engaging in online activities, and that the First Amendment does not protect all speech.