Texas Police Department Mom Shamed on Facebook and Mothers Were Not Having It

Friendswood Police Department in Texas received a lot of backlash after sharing a message on the Friendswood City Facebook page addressing moms in the community. The post shares tips on car robberies, which have been hitting parking lots at day cares in the area.

The issue isn’t so much what is said, but rather how it’s said.

“How many times will thieves steal purses out of cars of mothers who ‘just run inside’ the day care to pick up or drop off their child,” the post asks.

“Ladies, take your purse and cell phone with you. Don’t leave it in the car for crooks to steal,” the message advises. “And guess what—that extra minute it would have taken to grab your purse now turns into four hours of calling credit card companies, banks and cell phone companies to cancel your stuff. Worse yet, you have to tell your spouse what you just did and I’m sure that won’t be pleasant.”

The message was heard loud and clear, and many moms were quick to share their sentiments on it.

“Those flighty, ditsy moms, leaving their purses to be stolen, and then going through the unpleasant task of telling their spouses,” one comment reads. “After this post, I’d be more afraid to call the Friendswood Police about this crime because it’s going to be my fault that someone else committed a crime?”

“I can’t stand the word ‘manslpaining’ but this, this is definitely it,” says another.

“I can’t believe the [police department] had the audacity to allow this post. I understand burglaries have risen drastically and we can take steps to help alleviate them, but the way this was written is just wrong,” a note reads.

Ultimately, the Friendswood Police Department responded to the negative feedback, apologizing for the way their message was perceived.

“[The message] had a very casual tone with exaggerations; much different from the PD’s usually serious tone," it says. "The message was not received by everyone in the spirit it was intended. This has given us an opportunity to work toward more effective communications.”