PEORIA, Ill. – Peoria’s top cop is issuing a mea culpa after an ad was briefly posted to social media trying to get more people to join the force.
The ad in question makes reference to the violent video game Call of Duty, showing Peoria Police Officers in tactical gear, and said, quote, “Stop playing games and answer the Call of Duty.”
“I want to apologize, sincerely apologize, if somebody was offended or if we offended anybody,” Chief Eric Echevarria told 25 News. “That’s on me, and I ask the community to show me some grace.”
The short time the ad was up led to a virtual onslaught of social media comments questioning the wisdom of such an ad.
“We’ll continue to work hard for you,” said Echevarria. “We’ll continue to recruit the best candidates we can, but we’ll be more intentional on looking at it from a community perspective.”
It’s not likely Echevarria designed and posted the ad himself. He says the ad was not part of any sort of larger campaign, though the department has been more visible since he became chief in recruiting new officers.
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