A Facebook account that activists allege is run by Chattanooga police has been deactivated following a Times Free Press report.
Chante Raleigh's account disappeared from the social media platform by Dec. 24, a Facebook spokesperson said. "I can confirm that we did not disable the account you shared with us below," Sarah Pollack wrote in an email.
The Times Free Press reported on Dec. 21 that Raleigh's profile, which purports to be that of a black woman, friended thousands of suspected gang members, activists and other young black men in Chattanooga since 2013 and discredited commenters who are critical of police by releasing their previous criminal cases.
In one incident from September, a 27-year-old man said Raleigh's profile jumped into an online discussion and referenced an 11-year-old juvenile charge of his that had been dismissed and expunged.
An expunged case is supposed to be destroyed. That said, law enforcement may keep investigative files or other confidential records that reference the case. Although law enforcement can share those files among themselves, releasing them to the public is a Class A misdemeanor, according to Tennessee law.
A Chattanooga police spokeswoman previously would not confirm or deny whether an officer created the profile but advised citizens to report any suspicious profile to Facebook.
Deactivation is not the same thing as deleting an account; Raleigh's profile could return at some point. In the meantime, all her posts, pictures and comments remain stored on Facebook's server.
A second profile that activists believe is run by Chattanooga police, Taneisha MissLovely Halfacre, appears to be active.
Contact staff writer Zack Peterson at zpeterson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6347. Follow him on Twitter @zackpeterson918.