A Washington sheriff’s office advertised in Times Square — with big typo, photos show

A Washington sheriff’s office advertised jobs in Times Square — for “Washinton state.”

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said an advertising company was working after hours to fix the big typo that was glaring through New York City.

The office posted photos on Nov. 3 of Times Square billboards lit up with advertisements for 40 lateral office jobs at the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office. People on social media were quick to point out the error.

“Can we get a ‘G’?” one person said on Twitter.

Other people were upset that taxpayers’ money was being spent to advertise in the big city, especially with the mistake. The sheriff’s office paid $12,000 to advertise in Times Square for two days, according to The Spokesman-Review.

“Yeah, the typo is bad,” someone said. “I’d like to know how much the agency that made that mistake was paid to not do their job correctly.”

Typically, advertising on a billboard in Times Square costs between $5,000 and $25,000 for up to three days, according to Inspiria Outdoor, an advertising placement company.

Officials said they were fixing the typo as quickly as possible.

“Mistakes happen every day,” the sheriff said. “We are human. Thank you to the so-called ‘elites’ that only take the time to revel in a typo. Oh, and we’re still hiring!”

Elsewhere, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office has been advertising its lack of vaccine requirement in hopes of attracting officers who may be out of a job because they haven’t gotten vaccinated against COVID-19, The Spokesman-Review reported.

Other law enforcement agencies have lost dozens of officers who won’t get vaccinated. The Washington State Patrol said 127 people “separated from employment due to the mandate,” including 74 officers — out of about 2,200 employees total.

In Seattle, 176 police officers and firefighters couldn’t go to work after the city’s COVID-19 mandate took effect, according to the Associated Press.

“Spokane County doesn’t have a vaccine mandate,” Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich told The Spokesman-Review. “We don’t fall under any vaccine mandates. Therefore, we’re letting people know that we don’t have that.”

This story was originally published November 4, 2021 at 10:20 AM with the headline "A Washington sheriff’s office advertised in Times Square — with big typo, photos show."