Michigan police department's photoshopped patrol car post goes viral, sparks mixed reactions

Police in Bath Township, Michigan, joked on Facebook over the weekend they would change the graphics on patrol vehicles. (Bath Township Police Department)

Police in Michigan are using a new tactic to reach citizens -- or are they?

“So as some of you may have noticed, our page has been pretty helpful in connecting us with our community,” the Bath Township Police Department said in a Saturday Facebook post. “We’ve found though, that we are still struggling to really reach the younger folk out there.”

They added that “in an effort to bridge that gap, we’ve decided to update our patrol car graphics in an attempt to be more relatable to the local youths.”

Included in the post? A “photo” of a police vehicle with the word “Popo” emblazoned on the side.

The fake announcement garnered more than 2,500 shares and sparked a number of reactions on the social media platform.

“OMG you guys are too funny! That’s a classic! Be safe brothers n sisters out there,” a commenter wrote.

“It needs a "da" before popo. Hilarious though,” another said.

Not everyone, however, was amused, NBC 25 reports.

“What the hell is the world coming to? So now the disrespect is on the side of the cars rolling up and down the street. You treat disrespect with this. Smh,” a different Facebook commenter wrote.

Police replied to the person’s remark, saying that “...photoshop does wonders.”

‘How hard is it to see people just don't like you. Using tax payer money to decorate your pig mobile makes me like you even less,” someone else wrote.

“Considering we actually did this in MS Paint, and no tax dollars were used, I guess that means you like us again,” police responded.

Authorities then shared an image of a police vehicle in the post’s comments section, confirming they design of the patrol cars haven't changed.

“For those of you upset about us putting "slang" on the car or for "wasting taxpayers money," we wanted to let you know that the photo was made as a joke. Our cars still, and always will, say Police," the department added.