A woman asking for police help after her ex-boyfriend allegedly destroyed the inside of her house was told there was nothing the police could do unless the he physically harmed her.
Courtney O’Connor posted a TikTok on Friday showing her interaction with a female officer. The viral video, which has more than 1.2 million views, was posted with the caption, “BE CAREFUL WHO YOU CHOSE TO DATE. & here is Woodward Police department not doing shit about what he did. THE SYSTEM IS A JOKE.” In a follow-up video, O’Connor clarified that she and her ex-boyfriend are no longer together.
“There’s nothing we can do about that, he can punch holes in the wall, destroy everything, and there’s nothing law enforcement can do about it until something else happens,” the cop said.
“So if he comes here and shoots her that’s on you guys,” O’Connor’s friend told the officer who shrugged in response.
“If he comes here and does something to her, then we can do something to him,” the officer added.
O’Connor’s friend kept trying to impress the gravity of the situation upon the cop, reexplaining that the ex-boyfriend “did do something to her” by destroying the house. When the cop says that doesn’t count since it would have to be taken up in civil court, O’Connor’s friend says that she’s scared of O’Connor’s ex-boyfriend and would like police protection.
The cop pointedly says to the pair, “You would have to file a protective order against him as I’ve explained to her, as I’ve explained to you. She needs to file for an eviction.”
People in the comments section were irked by the cop’s response, her lack of action to protect the women, and her general attitude toward the situation.
“Why is the officer being so sassy about it…??” @morgangsta commented.
“Police duty: serve and protect. Police: unless he kills you I can’t do anything,” @livi_0021 wrote.
“This is why abuse victims don’t reach out for help wither. [Sad] that THIS is our system. Serve and protect…what a joke,” @ashleynicole_710 wrote.
In a follow-up video, the cop said she can’t do anything about the property vandalism since it’s a civil issue, but she said she’ll take the report. She also can’t do anything about him going inside his own residence since it’s a “civil issue unless she gets an eviction.”
“He has destroyed your house and I physically saw that. Was it right? Absolutely not,” the officer added.
People in the comments of the second video were more on the officer’s side.
“I’ll be sending her love and a fruit basket because she did her JOB,” @manymany492 wrote.
“She is doing her job honey. I know it’s frustrating but she has certain laws she has to abide by,” Danielle Grace commented.
Still, some viewers stated that more needs to be done to help victims of domestic violence.
“I’m just confused, maybe because it’s a different state,” @kaylaadanii said. “But where I live they take people destroying property as domestic violence and arrest them.”
It is unclear whether any action resulted from the police visit. In a follow-up video, the TikToker said the incident occurred in Woodward, Oklahoma.
O’Connor could not be reached for immediate comment; she was contacted via TikTok comment.
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