Illinois police department apologizes after ‘Call of Duty’-themed recruitment ad prompts backlash: ‘Tone-deaf’

An Illinois police department apologized after a recruitment ad, that was themed after “Call of Duty,” faced backlash for being “tone-deaf.”

“It was never my intention to offend any of our community members with the recruitment flyer that was posted on our Facebook page yesterday (2/27/24),” Peoria Police Department Chief of Police Eric Echevarria said in a statement to Fox News Digital. 

The post, which was themed after the violent war simulation video game series, was posted on the Peoria Police Department’s Facebook page and has since been deleted after community members found it offensive.

The advertisement showed Peoria Police Department officers wearing tactical gear and drawing guns. 

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“Stop playing games and answer the Call of Duty,” the ad was captioned along with a JoinPPD hashtag.

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Police chief Echevarria said that the advertisement was designed to “connect to a younger generation.”

“It was simply a recruitment image I thought would appeal and connect to a younger generation,” Echevarria said. “I take ownership of this, and I sincerely apologize. Our goal is to recruit the best and most qualified officers for this police department in the most caring and respectful way.”

Individuals online were quick to call the recruitment advertisement “tone-deaf.”

“Someone thought this would generate youth interest, and didn’t realize this was just tone-deaf,” one user said in a Reddit post.

“If you’re advertising for people to serve your community, it’s important how you’re depicting that service,” another wrote.

“Yikes,” another said.