Troy Police Reach 10,000 Twitter Followers, Will Get “Police Cat"

The Troy Police Department’s Twitter feed reached 10,000 followers Wednesday, so the department will definitely get a police cat. The news was announced where else but via Twitter with the words “10,000!#WeAreGettingAPoliceCat THANK YOU!” and at least ten cat emojis.

Congratulations have come in from around the country, and Troy Police’s efforts have prompted police in Toledo, Ohio, to start a similar campaign — if they get 20,000 Twitter followers, Toledo Police will adopt a very cranky kitty named Chase, seen in a video on Twitter striking fear into the heart of the uniformed officer holding him. By Friday, Toledo Police had over 17,000 followers. This isn't surprising – Troy Police said they were getting so many followers early on, it put pressure on them to make the cat joke a cat reality.

Troy Police Sgt. Megan Lehman, who mans the Twitter account as a departmental public information officer, said the account's popularity serves a vital purpose for officers and the community.

"We get positive feedback for the police department. It shows we’re actually people with a sense of humor. It creates a community personalty," Lehman said. "The idea is to humanize the badge and help people understand what we do on a daily basis so we can work with the community,” she added.

But what will a police cat wear? That problem was solved by an Arizona family, the Boehlkes, who mailed Troy Police a hand-sewn police cat uniform, complete with a badge-bedecked hat, along with a packet of crunchy cat snacks.

While the department says they’re taking a brief break from cats, they promise more information as soon as the lucky feline is selected. While the accidental cat campaign has had many exciting moments from TV crews, to cats in the station house, cat watchers across the region know the really entertaining part comes not just when the police get that cat, but when they try to put it in its uniform and hat. And Troy Police have promised pictures of that, too.

Photo via Troy Police.