HuffPost

Sep 22, 2023

William2 mins ago 0 The Columbus Police Department is investigating an incident after a viral video shows Ohio city police officers telling a father that his 11-year-old daughter could be charged with distributing sexual abuse images to children. The father called the police to report that his daughter was the target of an online predator. According to a Facebook post posted by the father on Friday, police showed up at his home a few hours later and told him that his daughter was at risk of being charged with “child pornography.” The father’s message included video of his exchange with police, apparently captured by a front door security camera. He then posted the video to TikTok, where it went viral. The Columbus Division of Police “acknowledged” the video in a statement. statement sent to HuffPost on Monday. Police said the Columbus Department of Inspector General is beginning an investigation into the incident with officers. The release also said detectives with the department’s sexual assault unit are investigating the father’s allegations that his daughter was preyed upon by an online predator. “As soon as we learned of this incident, we immediately contacted the father to apologize and assure him that this matter was being thoroughly investigated, both into the actions of this officer and, more importantly again, on any crime committed against her child.” Police Chief Elaine R. Bryant said in a separate statement. statement emailed to HuffPost. The standoff with police began on the night of Sept. 14, when two unnamed Columbus police officers knocked on the man’s door. As the video shows, the father told officers his daughter was now sleeping and noted he called them in hopes they could talk to him about the seriousness of the situation. “I mean, she can probably be charged with child pornography,” the police officer said in the video. “Who? She can? She’s 11,” the father replied. “She’s the one who creates it, isn’t she?” » the policewoman is heard asking in the video. “It doesn’t matter. She still does porn. “No, she’s not. She’s being manipulated by a grown adult on the Internet,” the father said. The encounter was brief, with the father ending it by telling the officers to enjoy the rest of their night. The incident highlights how child sexual abuse laws were originally intended hold adults accountable, but in many cases minors were charged as sexting has become more common. Advocates who work with survivors of sexual assault told the Associated Press that the Columbus incident reflects a flaw in how police officers are trained to respond to reports of exploitation. “It was a total failure legally and humanly,” Scott Berkowitz, president of the National Network on Rape, Abuse and Incest, told the AP. “I don’t know who is going to immediately blame a child in a situation like that. It’s inconceivable. » The father said the man online had continued to contact his daughter since the confrontation with police, reported CNNwhich identified the relative by his stage name, Billy Blocka. In his Facebook post, the father explained that he asked his daughter for permission to share the video online. He then posted the video of the encounter with the police on Tic Tac Monday, where it racked up more than 760,000 views and received more than 16,000 comments, with many people criticizing the police response. A TikToker with the username TizzyEnt, who regularly posts news to nearly 6 million people, criticized the police in a point of the original video. “She is being manipulated. She is well cared for. She cannot consent. That’s the whole point of it. So, Columbus Police Department, explain to me what is wrong with you: you have a father whose child has been victimized, who has been preyed upon, and your officer shows up at his home with the intention of blame this child for what happened. » said TizzyEnt. Chief Bryant has since said officers will be held accountable if the investigation finds there was wrongdoing. “I expect our officers to treat every victim of crime with compassion, decency and dignity. What I saw in this video did not reflect that – which is why we referred this matter to the Inspector General,” Bryant said in a statement. statement emailed to HuffPost on Tuesday. The father said on Facebook on Wednesday that he does not believe the police are being sincere about their response to the incident. “They have been abandoning their victims to their attackers for a long time and this must stop,” the father wrote. “It’s a problem that exists everywhere. The insensitivity of the police is ridiculous. The father did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment. David Moye contributed to this report. huffpost