Two Ohio cops are under investigation after a viral video posted by dad shows one of them saying his 11-year-old daughter could face "child porn" charges after the father tells them she was being victimized by an online predator.
Ohio police say two officers are under investigation after a father posted video of cops responding to his call that an online sexual predator was grooming his 11-year-old daughter. He is told the girl could face "child porn" charges, the video shows.
The unidentified dad posted a home surveillance clip of the encounter to TikTok, where it went viral and unleashed a backlash against Columbus police.
Responding to online criticism, Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant issued a statement Tuesday night, saying she had apologized to the father and the video showed a lack "of compassion, decency, and dignity."
Her remarks were posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“My expectation is that our officers treat every victim of crime with compassion, decency, and dignity. What I saw in that video did not reflect that — which is why we referred this case to the Inspector General," Bryant said.
"I want to make clear — this incident does not reflect the division as a whole. Our officers do outstanding work to bring comfort and justice to victims every day," the chief said.
"As soon as we learned of this incident, we immediately reached out to the father to apologize, and to assure him that this matter was being fully investigated — both the actions of this officer, and more importantly, any crime committed against his child."
The father said he called police at about 6 p.m. last Friday to report his child had been coerced into sending photographs to a man online, but officers didn't arrive until midnight.
The man is heard telling the officers he wanted them to speak with his daughter so she would “realize what this was."
The dad then says, "I mean, reality is, there's not much I probably can do about it, is there?"
A female officer is heard replying, "I mean, she can probably get charged with child porn."
"Who, she can?" the father says. "She's 11 years old."
"She's creating it, right?" the woman officer says.
"She's 11 years old," the dad repeats.
"Doesn't matter," the cop says. "She's still making porn."
The dad says that is not the case. His daughter is being manipulated by an adult on the internet, he says.
The father then ends the conversation. "You guys have a nice evening," he says. "Thank you for coming."
As he shuts the front door, the father adds, "Are you serious?"
After the video was reposted again and again on TikTok, Facebook and X, Columbus police announced Monday that the city’s Department of the Inspector General, “which investigates complaints of misconduct and/or excessive use of force by sworn personnel, has opened an inquiry into this incident.”
"The Columbus Division of Police acknowledges a video being shared on social media involving two officers responding to a call for service," the department said in a statement.
Columbus police also said its sexual assault unit has since launched an investigation.
The dad's video, meanwhile, has been viewed more than 730,000 times as of Wednesday.
Related Stories
