An Ohio father called the police at 6 p.m. Sunday to have them talk to his 11-year-old daughter who had been targeted and manipulated by a child predator online. The police didn’t come until midnight, and a since-released video shows their interaction with the child’s father, per The Washington Post.

When the father came out, he said, “She’s in bed now.” He explained that he asked the officers come by to have them “talk to her about the reality” of the situation.

The officer immediately responded, “She could probably get charged.”

The father asked, “Who? She can? She’s 11 years old.”

The officer replied, “That still makes it porn.”

The father explained that the child predator was “a grown (expletive) adult,” and when met with more criticism, went back inside.

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The Columbus Division of Police responded on X to the situation and said, “The Columbus Division of Police acknowledges a video being spread on social media involving two officers responding to a call for service. The Department of Inspector General, which investigates complaints of misconduct and/or excessive use of force by sworn personnel, has opened an inquiry into this incident.”

“The Division of Police regards all allegations of sexual misconduct with the utmost seriousness. Incidents involving minors are handled with the highest degree of concern. Sexual Assault Unit detectives were immediately notified of the incident and have since initiated an investigation.” 

On Tuesday, Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said the department apologized to the father and assured him that both the officers’ response and the predatory online behavior would be investigated per NBC.

Comments on the Division’s X post are largely in favor of better protection of children. One said, “Absolutely horrified to hear about an 11-year-old victim being threatened with charges instead of being protected. An already traumatic situation made worse by a deeply flawed system. The very people meant to protect, turning on the vulnerable. Disgusting. #ProtectOurKids.”

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