Kansas police apologize for tweet to turn dads in on Father’s Day to make it one ‘he’ll never forget’

Less than an hour after posting what they thought was a “light-hearted” message on Father’s Day, the Kansas police department had deleted it.

An apology from the Topeka Police Department followed on Monday as it tried to smooth the waters following the “mistake” on its social media account.

(Image: pxhere)

Wives were encouraged to give the father of their children “a Father’s Day he’ll never forget” on Sunday as the Department suggested that they turn him in to police if he had any warrants out for his arrest.

“Does your child’s father have warrants?” the tweet read. “Is he carrying around any drugs? Has he been committing any crimes? Want to give him a Father’s Day he’ll never forget? Call TPD and we’ll help your family make a memory that will last a lifetime.”

It “appeared to have been deleted within an hour,” according to The Kansas City Star, thoguh it was captured in a screenshot by another Twitter user.

There was immediate backlash after the message was first tweeted.

Will Pope, a candidate for Topeka City Council, called out the department in a tweet saying it was “smart to delete the tweet, but not smart to post in the first place. Look at all the uproar on Twitter! This hurts the entire department’s public perception and makes it harder (& less safe) for officers to do their job.”

The Department officially put out an apology on Monday, saying the tweet was meant to be “humorous and light-hearted.”

“The tweet was meant to be humorous and light-hearted, but was hurtful to some,” the police department said. “After realizing this, the tweet was quickly deleted. We would like to sincerely apologize for this mistake.”

The backlash and the criticism provided a “learning experience,” the department added.

“This will be a learning experience and goes to show that words, even when intended to be humorous, can be hurtful to others,” the statement read. “Thanks to all who reached out, letting us know how you felt.”

Pope offered “kudos” to the department for the apology but criticized the length of time it took to be issued.

“Be more timely!” he admonished.

Some who were offended by the Father’s Day message didn’t think the apology could let the police department off the hook.

And others accepted the apology but had some advice to offer.

Even amid the blowback, however, there were still some Twitter users who defended the Topeka Police Department and their attempt at sarcastic humor.

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