NYPD chief of patrol is moonlighting as a 'cop pop up shop' seller flogging police brand sweaters for $42 and other merch to fund office items such as water, coffee and snacks

NYPD chief of patrol John Chell is selling police branded merch to collect funds for office drinks and snacks, it has been revealed.

Chell advertised his side-gig on his LinkedIn page last week, months after filing documents to create the pop-shop, named 'The Cop Pop-Up Shop.'

'The newest challenge coin and apparel designs for my office just dropped,' he wrote, as first reported by HellGateNYC.

'Check out the The Cop Pop-Up Shop... a 501(c)(3) organization.'

The five items sold at the shop are stamped with the his chief's badge and include $20 holiday ornaments, $42 sweaters, and $20 'Chief of Patrol Challenge Coins.' 

NYPD chief of patrol John Chell is selling cop merch to collect funds for office supplies

Challenge coins are limited-edition tokens given to those who served in a particular unit or operation in the military or law enforcement.  

'The sale of the items is related to the Chief of Patrol's office club, which was created and is operated within Department guidelines,' a spokesperson for the NYPD told Hell Gate NYC.

'Any profit made from the sale of the items goes directly to the club and is used to fund office supplies such as water, coffee, snacks etc. Office/precinct clubs are run throughout the department in a similar manner.'

It's unclear why the NYPD, which has a yearly budget of over $5billion, needs to sell items to purchase office supplies.

While the challenge coins are sold out already, all other four items remain available for purchase.

DailyMail.com has reached out to the NYPD for comment on this story. 

Chell found himself in hot water last week after he misidentified a judge in a controversial social media post that accused her of letting a 'predator' loose on the city's streets.

In a post sent from his official X account, Chell named a state Supreme Court judge, writing that she 'did not do her job' when she ordered the release of a man who police say is a repeat offender within the city's transit system.

'She set free a predator back into the community, who may be on your next train, or walking the streets of our city, looking for his next victim,' he continued.

The missive was shared by three high-ranking NYPD officials, garnering hundreds of thousands of views and several angry comments directed at the judge. Some posters circulated a photo of a New York judge with the same last name.

On Thursday night, a spokesperson for the state court system, Al Baker, said the department had gotten multiple facts about the case wrong. 

'The recent social media posts from NYPD officials criticizing a recent bail decision not only indicated that the crime allegedly took place in the wrong county, it also named a judge that did not preside over the case,' Baker said. 

The NYPD has taken a more aggressive approach on social media in recent months, railing against those who are perceived as soft on crime or unfairly critical of the department.

Prior to the court's statement, the NYPD's top spokesperson, Tarik Sheppard, said he 'fully supported' the decision to condemn judges, adding that the practice would continue in the future.

Steven Zeidman, the director of CUNY Law School's criminal defense clinic, said the post had crossed a line, putting a judge in harm's way.