The Peoria Police Department (PPD) published a recruitment flier referencing the popular video game franchise “Call of Duty” that was later taken down due to public backlash.
On Feb. 27, one Reddit user questioned whether the police department “didn’t realize this was just tone deaf.”
Many comments agreed that the advertising was in poor taste and branded it as “disrespectful.” The day after the ad was published, Peoria Chief of Police Eric Echevarria apologized in a statement to the Peoria Journal Star, saying that the post was intended to persuade younger viewers to consider recruitment.
Although backlash convinced PPD to take down the flier, it also received positive attention across multiple social media platforms. A post referencing the flier on X brought in one million views and over 5,000 likes. Users commented on how unnecessary it was for the police department to take it down.
One person said “That’s actually really creative,” and another called it “effective marketing.” Several others stated that society has become “too soft” and believed the ad would interest them in becoming an officer.
Sports communication major John Williams said that even though the execution of the post was poor, it has nevertheless drawn attention to PPD.
“For police, it takes a lot of bad press to even affect that at all,” Williams said. “The comments under the posts are all positive and people are talking about Peoria and Peoria Police.”
The department’s intentions to bring in a new generation were understood by lots of people, but the flier was perceived negatively because of how male-dominated the department is.
In an interview with 25News, PPD shared how they want to bring more women and racial minorities into the department. In its 2023 annual report, only 22% of the department was found to be made up of racial minorities and only 13% of officers are female.
The flier displays two white male officers holding guns. In 2023, more than 1,200 people were killed by police officers in the United States, and police brutality has remained a popular topic of conversation.
“Call of Duty” is a violent shooter game and has been known to attract a primarily male player base. Using a violent game to try and recruit people to become officers insinuates that violence is a main component of the job.
English secondary education major Rachel Hobbs said the flier distracts from the perceived purpose of policing.
“Why would they [PPD] want to be promoting violence when they are trying to stop the violence in town?” Hobbs said.
PPD’s choice of advertisement adds to the problem that law enforcement is trying to reform. Police brutality has continued to plague law enforcement and has set a stereotype that all police officers exist to inflict violence.
Even though PPD tried to use a playful advertisement to stoke interest, there are other more effective ways to gain recruits. There are many non-violent video games out there that could have been a safer option. Why follow through with this one?
