NEED TO KNOW
- Photos and videos of marijuana plants appear on the Google profile for the Taylor Police Department in Michigan
- Taylor Police Department Deputy Chief Michael Lividini tells PEOPLE that the department became aware of the photos and videos over the weekend
- The department reported the issue to Google and is actively working to have the photos and videos removed
Weed photos and videos on a police department’s Google page? In Michigan, that just happened — and cops say it wasn’t them.
The photos and short videos of different marijuana plants and strains could be seen next to photos of Taylor Police Department patrol cars.
Taylor Police Department Deputy Chief Michael Lividini tells PEOPLE that the department became aware of the photos and videos over the weekend.
“I’m assuming the people or person who did this thought it would be comical,” he says. “And I’m going to be completely honest with you. When I first logged in, I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, how in the world?’ But then, in fact, it, it is there. So, we’re doing everything in our power here to address the issue because we definitely want to be professional on and offline. And this definitely flies in the face of that.”
“I think they were just trying to be funny, but if you take a step back and look at it, this could have some serious repercussions to it,” he says.
Lividini says many people assumed the department was hacked but that was not the case. He said the department reported the issue to Google and are actively working to have the photos and videos removed.
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“It’s a third-party website that we have zero control over,” he says. “We’re doing everything in our power to try to have them correct it. If it was in-house, we would’ve addressed it immediately. So, we’re just waiting on Google to get back with us and hopefully they can correct the issue as soon as humanly possible. I think we can all assume that a police department wouldn’t want images of marijuana attached to their name.”
On Monday, July 15, the Taylor Police Department said the department was “aware” of the photos and videos.
“These images were not posted by our agency and do not reflect the values or mission of the Taylor Police Department,” the department said on Facebook. “We appreciate the community members who brought this to our attention and thank you for your continued support.”
Google did not return a request for comment.
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