Durham police probe allegations of officer misconduct

Durham, N.C. — The Durham Police Department has launched an internal investigation into alleged misconduct by police officers on a social networking Web site, officials said Wednesday.

Deputy Police Chief B.J. Council said the misconduct was racial in nature, but declined to say how many officers were under investigation or whether any of them had been taken off active duty pending the outcome of the investigation.

The investigation began last week after other departmental employees expressed concerns, Council said.