NOPD recruitment ad sparks hate speech, gets yanked from social media

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It didn't look like a typical recruitment ad, director Crista Rock said, and that was the point.

"We tried to do something progressive and awesome to get officers who would embrace our culture," Rock said.

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The NOPD posted the commercial—"Everywhere Else Is Cleveland"—to its social media accounts at 9 a.m. Wednesday.

About an hour later, they took it down.

"The video was removed because we did not want anyone to be offended by the negative commentary," said public information officer Reese Harper.

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"The immediate reactions were just hate—horrible, slanderous, makes-your-heart-sink type comments, like, 'The NOPD doesn't hire sissies. Why are these grown men shaking arse?'" she said. "I also personally got a lot of hate messages.

"We knew it was going to be something of a lightning rod," Rock said. "I just didn't know it was going to go in that direction."

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"Everywhere Else Is Cleveland"—which features women, people of color and members of the local LGBTQ community—was commissioned by the foundation as part of a broader recruitment push to help fortify the city's shrinking police force. To broaden their applicant pool, the department recently relaxed restrictions around past marijuana use, credit scores and physical appearance—including tattoos, facial hair and nail polish.

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