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WCBS 880: #MyNYPD Twitter Hashtag Backfires, Gets Flooded With Images Of Police Brutality

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A NYPD social media effort backfired horribly Tuesday when Twitter users began posting photos of apparent police brutality.

The NYPD's official Twitter account asked people to post of themselves with members of the Police Department using the hashtag #MyNYPD, WCBS 880's Alex Silverman reported.

MyNYPD Twitter Hashtag Backfires, Flooded With Images Of Police Brutality

But some Twitter users hijacked the hashtag and posted photos of a cop yanking a woman's hair, an officer with his knee on a shirtless man's neck, a lieutenant with his arms around a gasping woman's chest, among others.

The Occupy Wall Street protests provided plenty of the material.
https://twitter.com/Lukewearechange/statuses/458730616091992066
https://twitter.com/KimaniFilm/statuses/458687307013308416
https://twitter.com/socialAk47/statuses/458736388330909696
https://twitter.com/CaseyJAldridge/statuses/458704315113156610
https://twitter.com/LaronRoland/statuses/458725292501004289
https://twitter.com/OCongress/statuses/458705608531656706
There were some nice encounters tagged also, which the NYPD retweeted from its official account.
https://twitter.com/NYPDnews/statuses/458665477409996800
https://twitter.com/vanvanmt/statuses/458670044671918080
https://twitter.com/NYPDnews/statuses/458678236097310720
Police Deputy Chief Kim Royster released a statement Tuesday night saying: "The NYPD is creating new ways to communicate effectively with the community. Twitter provides an open forum for an uncensored exchange and this is an open dialogue good for our city."

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(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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