A Kansas police department promised a family memory that would “last a lifetime” by encouraging mothers to turn in fathers with outstanding warrants, drugs, or who had recently committed crimes.
“Does your child’s father have warrrants? Is he carrying around any drugs? Has he been committing any crimes? Want to give him a Father’s Day gift he’ll never forget? Call TPD and we’ll help your family make a memory that will last a lifetime,” the Topeka, Kan., police department wrote in a tweet that was later deleted.
The tweet was sent out at approximately 11:06 a.m. on Father’s Day and was deleted after receiving severe backlash from locals, who branded the idea “moronic and offensive” and “trash.”
Hey @Topeka_Police, can’t believe you tweet this out and then deleted it, cowards! If you’re gonna have the balls to say stupid shit like this, have the balls to stand behind it! pic.twitter.com/jVrvrnba45
— Eric Hills (@erichills80) June 16, 2019
So here’s a now deleted tweet from @Topeka_Police pic.twitter.com/zRXogtZsMG
— ａｕｒｉ (@starblankets_) June 16, 2019
Imagine meeting all these people and kids and then, the next day, tweeting out such a moronic and offensive thing about drug users and fatherless homes on Father’s Day. Thank God you deleted that trash but the fact anyone at your precinct thought that was acceptable is abhorrent.
— Derek 🎖 (@DerekChevalier) June 16, 2019
Don’t worry @Topeka_Police, screenshots are forever (and subject to the Kansas Open Records Act, so destroying probably wasn’t the *best* idea) pic.twitter.com/pxHNGacLxK
— Justin W. ✯ (@IDontRentPigs) June 16, 2019
UPDATE: Topeka Police Department officially apologized for the tweet, saying it was a joke gone awry and a “learning experience.”
