'Might gas some inmates': Prison guards fired over 'inappropriate' social media posts
Four prison guards in Texas have been fired and another two have resigned over “inappropriate” social media posts as part of the #FeelingCute challenge.
Law enforcement workers – including police officers and prison guards – have been participating in the challenge by posting light-hearted selfies while wearing uniforms or on the job.
The challenge was inspired by the “felt cute, might delete later IDK (I don’t know)” meme.
Details about the correctional officers and the exact content of their objectionable posts have yet to be made public.
But it has emerged a female prison employee joked online about gassing inmates, according to US newspaper Houston Chronicle.
“Feeling cute, might just gas some inmates today, IDK,” the female prison employee reportedly wrote under a selfie.
A man, who worked at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), also joked about gassing “the whole wing later”.
It is unclear if either employee was among the six being investigated.
The controversial posts — which were shared on now-private Facebook group Correctional Officer Life — were discovered by inmate families who demanded officials take action.
TDCJ executive director Bryan Collier 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,” Mr 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, such as a Georgia utility worker joked about cutting off water supplies.
