Photos of at least 10 local police officers in various states of undress popped up on a radio station’s Web site, where visitors are being urged to vote for the area’s “Finest Ms. Officer.”
The contest is sponsored by hip-hop and R&B station WKYS-FM. It was inspired by rap star Lil Wayne’s runaway hit, “Mrs. Officer,” wherein the crooner declares his lust for a female cop.
“We decided to pay tribute to female officers all across our area,” WKYS program director Al Payne told The Examiner.
The contestants apparently didn’t violate any department rules, local police officials told The Examiner. This was in part because, in the words of one spokesman, “She wasn’t in uniform.”
Several of the shots feature women in bikinis. At least one appears to be topless. One of the bikini-clad finalists on WKYS’s Web site, D.C. officer Zunnobia Hakir boasts, “I not only work for D.C.’s finest, I am D.C.’s finest.”
The wardrobe choices are departures from Lil Wayne’s song, which hails the eponymous officers’ “uniform pants … so tight” and his wish to “make her wear nothing but handcuffs and heels.”
The tribute is part of a national contest, the winner of which will be flown to Miami by Lil Wayne’s record company.
Payne said all the finalists signed waivers and disclaimers before their bios and pictures appeared on the site. Asked whether he thought the premise was degrading, he said: “Wow. I don’t think I would be concerned about that. All of the pictures submitted that I see are very tasteful.”
By close of business Wednesday, the finalists had been narrowed by one. After The Examiner began making calls, Montgomery County police officer Delores Culmer — whose picture sported a woman wearing a sequined, tan bikini top — disappeared from WKYS’s Web site. County police spokeswoman Lucille Baur told The Examiner that Culmer had been entered by a friend, and after being contacted by a reporter had decided to drop out of the contest.
That caught Payne off guard.
“We actually were trying to reward female officers for their efforts,” he said. “So I’m surprised that someone would have a negative experience.”
Other finalists were more nonchalant.
“It was a good write-up,” D.C. police officer Sholanda Miller (Officer No. 7) said of her bio.
Miller, who was nominated by her sister, said she hasn’t been razzed by her colleagues.
“They just say, ‘Nice picture,’” Miller said.
The contest runs through next week, Payne said.
