The Carthage (Mo.) Police Department has apologized for a lewd photo accidentally posted to its public Facebook page. The Joplin Globe reports the photograph was allegedly live on the website for 5 seconds, yet at least one person saw it and reported it before it was taken down. The picture was a man's genitals and it appeared on the page midafternoon Monday.
Here's a look at one Missouri city's embarrassing Facebook faux pas.
Facebook Presence
The Globe reported the Carthage Police Department's Facebook page became active around Jan. 19. A couple of employees will monitor the page and provide updates to citizens on issues important to the department.
The actual page had a posting dated Nov. 9. The post welcomed citizens to the new page. "CPD is now on Facebook. Feel free to share your questions, comments or concerns."
As of this writing, more than 200 people have "liked" the department's Facebook page. The current page is used to inform citizens of suspects the department is looking for and to advise the area as to crime statistics.
The Photo
The questionable photograph was one used in an active police investigation. The photograph that was supposed to be on the page was that of the annual Mudstock celebration held every summer. The department said the officer who posted the photograph made an "honest mistake" and something like that will "never happen again."
The police department also assumed no one saw the picture in public view. When someone called the dispatch operator, the department issued an apology to its Facebook page. Officials further said that tinkering with the Facebook page should "never" occur on an investigative computer.
Reaction
The Carthage Police Department issued an apology on its Facebook page Jan. 23 at 1:16 p.m. The post has some typos in it, perhaps because it was hastily written.
"If you have been on facebook the last few minutes at the CPD facebook page, a grievious error was made and a photo involving a current investigation was posted rather than the mudstock photo. This was a terrible error and we sincerly apoligize. The post was deleted within seconds, but I understand a few saw again. Thank you to those who have called to let us know," the post stated.
Carthage is a city that is located just northeast of Joplin. The U.S. Census lists the population as 14,378.
William Browning, a lifelong Missouri resident, writes about local and state issues for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Born in St. Louis, Browning earned his bachelor's degree in English from the University of Missouri. He currently resides in Branson.
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