A New York Police Department’s PR campaign badly backfired in the counterculture that is today’s social media. The NYPD asked that Tweeters distribute photos showing police in the pictures.
Instead of smiling buddy shots, the authorities received a hilarious buzz of photos putting on display graphic images of police brutality. One photo of a young female protester being dragged across cement on her bear skin reads: “Police help couple do Yoga with proper form!” The tweet ends with the hash tag identifier #myNYPD.
Another tweet from @OccupyWallStNYC showed a man being carried from a protest by four of New York’s finest. “Need a lift?” the Tweet questions. “The #NYPD’s got you! Free Delivery, Only at #myNYPD.
“The NYPD is creating new ways to communicate effectively with the community,” NYPD Deputy Chief Kim Royster said in a statement, taking an enlightened free speech society approach to the issue. “Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) provides an open forum for an uncensored exchange and this is an open dialogue good for our city.”
The photos weren’t only snickering. Several photos displayed smiling police officers with grateful citizens, which was the point of the campaign.