Jay-Z Depicted as Gang Member in Miami Police Dept. Banner

The Miami Police Department has pulled a truly bizarre design move while trying to bolster a local anti-gang campaign on its website. In a plea to get the public to report gang violence, the department crafted a banner that provides a crime stopper phone number and an animated depiction of a local gang. Here's where the problems begin. The banner (at left) depicts five gang members -- two of which happen to bear an unquestionable resemblance to Jay-Z. See for yourself.

The central character is clearly a depiction of a well-known Jay photo where he's wearing a New York Jets jersey and hat while prominently displaying a watch. The second picture is one that was used for promotional purposes around the release of the original 'Blueprint.'

While Hov's camp hasn't commented yet, we find it highly unlikely that Jay-Z, an entertainer that just covered Forbes, would condone the police department using his cartoon likeness in such a negative way. It's also odd that the other three members depicted look straight out of the 'Grand Theft Auto' video game series. Maybe the graphic designer responsible needs to get out into the real world a little more.

Either way, the Miami New Times, who broke the news, has reached out to the police department for an explanation as to who designed the banner and why they chose Jay-Z as two out of the five members. We're certainly interested in hearing what they have to say on the matter.