Police Force Says Sorry for Insensitive Call of Duty Ad Pitch

• Peoria Police Department's controversial Call of Duty-inspired social media campaign.
• Public criticism for the controversial recruitment post depicting armed white men.
• Wave of negative responses from residents of Peoria, Illinois online.
• Police Chief Eric Echevarria's apology for the insensitive ad.
• Reasons why the ad was problematic, including police violence statistics.

Peoria Police Department's Controversial Social Media Campaign

Three officers, donned in tactical gear and brandishing weapons, stand against a backdrop of smoke. This image, courtesy of the Peoria Police Department and Activision, was used in a recent recruitment drive that drew a lot of attention.

The Peoria, Illinois police department decided to use a Call of Duty-inspired theme for its campaign on social media. As many would predict, the campaign was deemed insensitive and tone-deaf.

Controversial Recruitment Post

The controversial post, which was initially shared on the Peoria Police Department's social media page, displayed three white men armed with guns and dressed in tactical gear. The caption read, "Stop playing games and answer the Call of Duty," with "Call of Duty" written in the same font used for Activision's popular first-person shooter franchise.

Public Reaction to the Campaign

The post was met with a wave of negative responses online. It was shared on the Peoria subreddit and on Facebook by residents of the central Illinois city, which has a population of over 100,000 people.

One Reddit user criticized the campaign, stating, "I can't believe they actually had multiple people look at this and say that's what we need to drum up recruits." A Facebook user who shared the recruitment poster wrote, "Literally aiming guns, but telling the children to put the guns down while you have ALL WHITE MEN POINTING THEIRS...AT WHOM."

Police Department Apologizes for the Campaign

On February 28, Police Chief Eric Echevarria apologized for the recruitment ad in a statement to the Peoria Journal Star. He stated that it was never his intention to offend any community members and that he had simply thought the image would appeal to a younger generation. He took ownership of the campaign and sincerely apologized for it.

Why the Ad Shouldn't Have Existed

There are numerous reasons why this ad should not have been created. First, Call of Duty is a game about indiscriminately shooting predetermined "bad guys" and American police have a notorious reputation for being trigger-happy.

According to research by Mapping Police Violence, police killed 1,352 people in 2023, and so far in 2024, they're responsible for the deaths of 150. The site also reports that in Illinois, the situation is no different.

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