When a man in Ohio found out that someone online had manipulated his 11-year-old daughter into sending intimate photos of herself, he called police for help, according to a video shared widely on social media.
The man was hoping officers could speak with the girl to help her “realize what this was,” the video shows.
But when two Columbus police officers responded to the man’s home, one of them said that his daughter “could probably get charged with child porn,” according to the video.
“Who? She can?” the man responded in the video. “She’s 11 years old.”
Incredulous, he repeated his daughter’s age again a few seconds later.
“Doesn’t matter,” the same officer replied. “She’s still making porn.”
The video of the Sept. 15 exchange between the man and the officers, which appears to have been recorded from a camera outside the home, has been viewed more than 730,000 times since it was posted on TikTok over the weekend. On Monday, the Columbus Division of Police acknowledged the video, adding that the city’s inspector general had launched an investigation into the officers’ conduct.
Columbus police said in a statement that the division “regards all allegations of sexual misconduct with the utmost seriousness.” Officers are investigating the 11-year-old’s allegations, the statement adds.
The father and the officers have not been publicly identified. Officials have not disclosed whether the officers involved have been disciplined.
Police Chief Elaine Bryant said in a statement to The Washington Post on Tuesday that the department contacted the father to apologize “as soon as we learned of this incident” and to inform him that the officers’ response and alleged crime against his child would be “fully investigated.”
“My expectation is that our officers treat every victim of crime with compassion, decency, and dignity,” Bryant said. “What I saw in that video did not reflect that.”
At the start of the video, which is about 90 seconds long, the two Columbus police officers are seen walking up to a house, flashlights in hand.
After knocking on the door once, the officers exchanged conversation for about 30 seconds before knocking again. The man who made the call opened the door and began speaking to the officers about 50 seconds into the video.
In a caption on the video that circulated online, the man said he had called police around 6 p.m. and that they arrived around midnight. His daughter had gone to sleep, he told the officers, but he’d wanted them to “come over and talk to her” about online exploitation, the footage shows.
“There’s not much I can do about it, is there?” he asked.
One of the officers responded that the girl could be charged with child pornography. As the father emphasized his daughter’s age, the same officer asked: “She’s still creating it, right?”
“She’s 11 years old,” the man said for the second time.
A few seconds later, after the man emphasized that the girl is “being manipulated” by an adult online, the officer asked: “Is she taking pictures though?”
Immediately after, the man started to go back inside the house, saying: “You guys have a nice evening,” the video shows.
As the video circulated online, the Columbus inspector general received complaints about the exchange, the department said in a statement.
If policies were violated, the inspector general will make recommendations to “restore, build and maintain public trust,” the department said.
The man was hoping officers could speak with the girl to help her “realize what this was,” the video shows.
But when two Columbus police officers responded to the man’s home, one of them said that his daughter “could probably get charged with child porn,” according to the video.
“Who? She can?” the man responded in the video. “She’s 11 years old.”
Incredulous, he repeated his daughter’s age again a few seconds later.
“Doesn’t matter,” the same officer replied. “She’s still making porn.”
The video of the Sept. 15 exchange between the man and the officers, which appears to have been recorded from a camera outside the home, has been viewed more than 730,000 times since it was posted on TikTok over the weekend. On Monday, the Columbus Division of Police acknowledged the video, adding that the city’s inspector general had launched an investigation into the officers’ conduct.
Columbus police said in a statement that the division “regards all allegations of sexual misconduct with the utmost seriousness.” Officers are investigating the 11-year-old’s allegations, the statement adds.
The father and the officers have not been publicly identified. Officials have not disclosed whether the officers involved have been disciplined.
Police Chief Elaine Bryant said in a statement to The Washington Post on Tuesday that the department contacted the father to apologize “as soon as we learned of this incident” and to inform him that the officers’ response and alleged crime against his child would be “fully investigated.”
“My expectation is that our officers treat every victim of crime with compassion, decency, and dignity,” Bryant said. “What I saw in that video did not reflect that.”
At the start of the video, which is about 90 seconds long, the two Columbus police officers are seen walking up to a house, flashlights in hand.
After knocking on the door once, the officers exchanged conversation for about 30 seconds before knocking again. The man who made the call opened the door and began speaking to the officers about 50 seconds into the video.
In a caption on the video that circulated online, the man said he had called police around 6 p.m. and that they arrived around midnight. His daughter had gone to sleep, he told the officers, but he’d wanted them to “come over and talk to her” about online exploitation, the footage shows.
“There’s not much I can do about it, is there?” he asked.
One of the officers responded that the girl could be charged with child pornography. As the father emphasized his daughter’s age, the same officer asked: “She’s still creating it, right?”
“She’s 11 years old,” the man said for the second time.
A few seconds later, after the man emphasized that the girl is “being manipulated” by an adult online, the officer asked: “Is she taking pictures though?”
Immediately after, the man started to go back inside the house, saying: “You guys have a nice evening,” the video shows.
As the video circulated online, the Columbus inspector general received complaints about the exchange, the department said in a statement.
If policies were violated, the inspector general will make recommendations to “restore, build and maintain public trust,” the department said.
