The Topeka Police Department issued an apology after receiving local and national criticism for a tweet encouraging mothers to turn in criminal dads for Father’s Day.
”Yesterday a member of our social media team tweeted on the official TPD Twitter account,” the department said. “The tweet was meant to be humorous and light-hearted, but was hurtful to some. After realizing this, the tweet was quickly deleted. We would like to sincerely apologize for this mistake. This will be a learning experience and goes to show that words, even when intended to be humorous, can be hurtful to others. Thank you to all who reached out, letting us know how you felt.”
Apology regarding tweet: pic.twitter.com/him4coGASp
— Topeka Police (@Topeka_Police) June 17, 2019
The original tweet, which was deleted shortly after sending, suggested to moms that turning in dads with outstanding warrants, drugs, or having recently committed crimes would be a gift that dads would “never forget” and it would be a family memory that would “last a lifetime.”
Topeka Police did not say whether any employee was disciplined or fired, instead painting the tweet as a joke gone awry and a “learning experience.”
