COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Division of Police is investigating after a video went viral involving two officers and how they responded to a report of sexual misconduct involving a minor.
The video appears to be from a home security camera that captured an interaction between a man and two Columbus police officers who responded to the call.
The person who posted the video said he called the police to report that his daughter, who is under the age of 12, was a victim of an online predator. He claimed that a man manipulated the girl to send pictures of herself.
The man can be heard saying he wanted officers to talk to his daughter and questioned what he could do about the situation. An officer can be heard in the video telling the man his daughter could be charged with child porn. The man questioned the officer's statement and after a brief discussion, he told the officers to have a nice night and closed the door.
Police Chief Elaine Bryant released a statement Tuesday evening saying she expects all officers to treat crime victims with compassion and decency, but what she saw in the video "did not reflect that."
Bryant said when the department learned about the incident, they reached out to the father to apologize and that the issues are being fully investigated -- both the officer's actions and any crime committed against his child.
Police said the Columbus Department of the Inspector General opened an investigation into the officers' response. The department is responsible for investigating complaints of misconduct and/or excessive use of force by sworn personnel, according to police.
Police went on to say it takes all allegations of sexual misconduct with the utmost seriousness and Sexual Assault Unit detectives were notified and initiated an investigation into the allegation.
Mayor Andrew Ginther also released a statement, saying the city is aware of the video and that the police department takes all allegations of sexual misconduct seriously.