SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) – A civilian employee working as a community service officer with the San Jose Police Department has been charged with gun crimes amid allegations he made social media posts advocating for killing cops.
San Jose community service officer Denis Shevchenko is on administrative leave after being arrested this week and charged with possessing illegal guns, including an assault weapon.
He is alleged to have made anonymous posts on the website Gab, known for its far-right extreme ideology said police chief Anthony Mata at a news conference Friday.
After serving briefly as a sworn police officer in 2013, the 40-year-old Shevchenko was currently working as a civilian community service officer, assisting with traffic control and other non-enforcement duties, but did not have standard police authority.
Alerted by the FBI Bay Area’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, police also found a loaded handgun in Shevchenko’s locket at the South San Jose Substation.
The chief says there’s no indication so far that Shevchenko was planning to act on his view.
The Gilroy resident is out of custody and charged with three misdemeanors thus far.
The ongoing investigation will look for other employees who might be harboring similar ideologies.