The Illinois Police Department was in the news for running a campaign to connect with a younger demographic. But the move went southwards, as locals did not seem like it, instead terming it ‘tone-deaf.’
Now the images from the post are doing the rounds on social media, where they are gathering positive attention. It looks like the move paid off after gamers gave their seal of appreciation.
Illinois Police Apologizes for Call of Duty-themed recruitment poster
Earlier this week, the Illinois Police Department shared an image on its official Facebook page that depicted police officers similar to characters in the popular first-person shooter Call of Duty. The caption also referenced the game by saying, “Stop playing games and answer Call of Duty.”
This soon spread on social media, where many started voicing their displeasure with the nature of the advertisement. Some thought it promoted violence, while others shared their displeasure with ‘comparing policing to Call of Duty.’
The post was taken down soon, with Peoria Police Department chief Eric Echevarria sharing an apology about this whole event. He admitted that the campaign wanted to tap into the younger audience and get their interest in new recruitments. The intention was never to hurt or offend anyone in the first place.
He even goes on to say the department is committed to recruiting qualified officers in the most respectful and caring way. They will keep the interest of the community in mind for future campaigns.
This was not the first time a police force came under scrutiny on social media. Back in 2014, NYPD launched a campaign to boost its image by calling users to post their images with NYPD personnel under #MYNYPD.
What resulted was a sea of tweets that featured the NYPD in action, wielding batons and firearms. The images showed police aggression, which was not what the NYPD social media team had in mind.
Esports fans love Illinois Police Department’s Call of Duty recruitment ad
While some people did not get the whole point of the campaign, it seems the younger audience liked it. The ad campaign later found traction on Twitter, where users were praising the unique approach taken by the Peoria Police Department.
Some even termed this as ‘cool’.
What are your thoughts about the recruitment campaign? Let us know in the comments below.
