The New York Police Department tried a positive outreach campaign on Twitter, asking city residents to tweet photographs of themselves or other citizens with officers. Talk about an epic fail.
Pictures flooded the NYPD’s Twitter site that showed officers in the midst of committing acts of police brutality and other various acts of misconduct, CNN reported.
One poster wrote alongside a photo of an officer holding a man who seemed to be screaming, with his arms behind his back and thrown on top of a car: “Free Massages from the #NYPD. What does YOUR Police Department offer?”
Another wrote: “The #NYPD will also help you de-tangle your hair,” alongside a photo of a police officer pulling at the hair of someone who apparently was placed under arrest.
A spokeswoman for the police campaign, meanwhile, defended the outreach.
“The NYPD is creating new ways to communicate effectively with the community,” said Deputy Chief Kim Royster, in CNN. “Twitter proves an open forum for an uncensored exchange, and this is an open dialogue good for our city.”
Not all the photos were negative; one included a citizen posing by three smiling police officers. Another tweeted: “People are so lame, there’s a lot of good cops out there as well.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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