Kentucky State Police Apologize for Controversial Tweet About Rape

Kentucky State Police apologized on Super Bowl Sunday after receiving backlash for posting an inappropriate tweet that alluded to sexual assault.

In response to the tweet from earlier this evening. pic.twitter.com/GdwAYD8e0J

— KY State Police (@kystatepolice) February 5, 2018

In the tweet, the state police joked about prison rape in an attempt to deter drunken drivers.

The state police posted the statement Sunday night to its Twitter account, which has more than 50,000 followers.

"Making light of sexual assault is never acceptable, and we apologize for the distress this tweet caused, particularly to the victims of these heinous crimes," the statement said. "(Kentucky State Police) is committed to protecting against sexual assault and fighting for justice for victims."

The statement said the tweet came from one employee and does not represent all state police.

The original tweet was tied to the Super Bowl.

.@kystatepolice tweeted a rape joke in response to a #SuperBowl ad. No, really. https://t.co/n24H7V6qzu (via @courierjournal) #Kentucky

— Phillip M. Bailey (@phillipmbailey) February 5, 2018

"Enjoy watching Rob Gronkowski (TE) play but if you drink & drive ... your tight end may end up in jail!" the tweet said. Attached was a slow-motion gif of a bar of soap hitting the ground, the implication being to "don't drop the soap," a crude reference to anal rape.

Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Grimes responded to a screenshot of the original tweet.

"Rape & sexual assault are not joking matters. Citizens expect & deserve better of law enforcement," Grimes said in the tweet. "An apology to victims everywhere from @kystatepolice is needed."

KSP has not released details about the employee who sent the tweet or if they were fired or suspended.

USA Today reports that in 2011-2012, "The estimated number of prison and jail inmates experiencing sexual victimization totaled 80,600 (or 4.0% of all prison inmates and 3.2% of jail inmates nationwide)."

The survey that found those figures, Sexual Victimization in Prisons and Jails Reported by Inmates, was conducted as part of the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003.

According to the same survey, an estimated 29,300 prisoners in state or federal prisons reported an incident involving another inmate, while an estimated 11,900 jail inmates reported an incident involving another inmate.