New York’s finest, the NYPD, used Twitter yesterday to bolster its image by asking followers to tweet photos of themselves with New York City police officers and hashtag it #myNYPD.
Do you have a photo w/ a member of the NYPD? Tweet us & tag it #myNYPD. It may be featured on our Facebook. pic.twitter.com/mE2c3oSmm6
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) April 22, 2014
It backfired. Gloriously. People definitely participated in the campaign but not exactly in the way the NYPD wanted.
NYPD officers are known worldwide for their timely and hands-on response to citizen grievances. pic.twitter.com/wuJ8uicGgE #myNYPD
— immunocommunist (@leftjew) April 22, 2014
Do you have a photo w/ a member of the #NYPD? Tweet us & tag it #myNYPD. It may be featured on their Facebook! pic.twitter.com/Ps7rThxgNw
— Occupy Wall Street with a General Strike (@OccupyWallStNYC) April 22, 2014
#NYPD Keeping the Streets Safe. Show some love, and send your pics with #MyNYPD hashtags! pic.twitter.com/Sk31xWjQMp
— 🇵🇸✡️ #CeaseFireNow to Stop the Genocide in Gaza (@shushugah) April 22, 2014
It’s unclear why the NYPD expected anything different when many have characterized the force as one of the most corrupt and brutal police departments in America. This is like Justin Bieber asking people to tweet what they really think about him.