Prison guards fired after posting 'inappropriate' selfies: 'Feeling cute, might just gas some inmates today'
Law enforcement employees have been letting off steam by taking part in the #FeelingCute challenge, in which police officers, prison guards and other workers post lighthearted selfies while wearing their uniforms and on the job. The social media trend is inspired by the “felt cute, might delete later IDK” meme.
But some staffers may have crossed the line with their posts. As the Houston Chronicle reports, four prison guards in Texas have been fired, while another two have resigned following an investigation into their social media activity.
Though details about the correctional officers and the exact content of their objectionable posts have yet to be made public, the Chronicle reports that some #FeelingCute posts have caused outrage by including jokes about gassing inmates.
"Feeling cute, might just gas some inmates today, IDK," a female prison employee reportedly captioned a selfie, while a male Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) worker also joked online about gassing “the whole wing later.” It is unclear if either employee is among the six being investigated.
Word of the controversial posts — which were shared on the now-private Facebook group Correctional Officer Life — made its way to inmate families, who saw demanded that officials take action.
Bryan Collier, executive director of TDCJ, addressed the “inappropriate photographs and comments” in a statement posted to Facebook last week.
“These officers in no way represent the thousands of TDCJ employees who go to work every day taking public safety seriously in all ways,” Collier wrote. “Investigations are ongoing. If any allegations prove true, swift disciplinary action that could include termination of involved employees will occur.”
Other industries are also seeing backlash over #FeelingCute posts, as was the case with a Georgia utility worker who joked about cutting off water supplies.
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