Fail: NYPD Photo Contest on Twitter Triggers Huge Backlash

A seemingly innocuous call to action by the New York City Police Department backfired in extraordinary fashion Tuesday.

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In a tweet, the NYPD asked Twitter users to share pictures of them posing with a police officer with the hashtag "myNYPD." The original tweet may give a sense of what the NYPD wanted:

The responses came fast and furious — but they were likely not what the police department had in mind.

In a flurry of digital defiance, scores of users uploaded images appearing to show potential police brutality and other unflattering behavior.

A few respondents uploaded friendly photographs. But many of the photo submissions were decidedly antagonistic.

In a statement, the NYPD said it is "creating new ways to communicate effectively with the community."

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"Twitter provides an open forum for an uncensored exchange and this is an open dialogue good for our city," the NYPD said.

— Daniel Arkin