It was a social media backfire just waiting to happen.

When CNN called on Twitter users to offer up questions for a panel of police officers on an upcoming segment called "Cops Under Fire," it instead elicited a flood of sarcasm, outrage and derision centered on recent high-profile incidents of police violence.

Thanks to the backlash, the hashtag #AskACop climbed to the top of the list of U.S. Twitter trends Tuesday night.

The network should have known what it was getting itself into. When NYPD called on New Yorkers to tweet out pictures with cops in an effort to drum up goodwill for the department this April, the campaign was overrun with pictures depicting police brutality.

The CNN Tonight panel, which airs Tuesday night, is set to consist of five officers who have used deadly force in the course of their job. The cops will field questions from social media users responding to the campaign as part of a town hall discussion.

At 10, #CopsUnderFire. We've gathered a police panel - what would you like to ask them? Send in your Q's w #AskACop pic.twitter.com/YQlCTCHzNZ — CNN Tonight (@CNNTonight) December 16, 2014

Here are just a few of the mocking questions Twitter users aimed at the group of cops:

#AskACop Are you aware there's no such thing as setting your bullets to 'stun?' @cnn — Adrian Dukes (@adriandukes) December 17, 2014

#Askacop I have a math question: if 1 Black man has zero guns, zero knives and 2 hands, how many bullets does it take to disarm him? — Jamilah Lemieux (@JamilahLemieux) December 17, 2014

@cnn got both hands on the keyboard…cool if i reach for the remote? #askacop — Bomani Jones (@bomani_jones) December 17, 2014

Doesn't it bother you, even a little, that so many of your colleagues keep getting away with murdering unarmed black people? #AskACop — Simon V-L (@simonwilliam) December 17, 2014

#AskACop is a hot dog a sandwich, and whats the deal with the institutionalized racism — D.Ecember 25th (@DougExeter) December 17, 2014

The campaign wasn't a total loss in terms of sparking potential dialogue. Some offered serious, hard-hitting questions, including activists who played a prominent role in the Ferguson protests:

Why are the fabled "good cops" so silent on the issue of rogue killer cops? #AskACop — Joshua Mensah (@jpkm_) December 17, 2014

I wanted to #AskACop why there seems to be so much of an aversion to body cameras... — Shayne I. (@darker_wes) December 17, 2014

#AskACop why St. Louis Police Union spokesperson, Jeff Roorda, was fired as a police officer for falsifying reports then hired by them — Shaun King (@ShaunKing) December 17, 2014

#AskACop why the Cleveland PD hired Tim Loehman when his previous force said this about him before he killed Tamir. pic.twitter.com/7vbCRmbPdi — Shaun King (@ShaunKing) December 17, 2014

Y'all, please shut down #AskACop. Ask for facts and an explanation of why we're being executed by the police. pic.twitter.com/gygukiJXty — deray mckesson (@deray) December 17, 2014

Others defended police by tweeting their legitimate gratitude for their service:

#AskACop Thank you for your civil service. — Lance Bono Tedford (@Dj_Toaster) December 17, 2014

@OutFrontCNN @CNN #AskACop I would like to thankyou for risking your life daily to protect me!! Much Respect!!! — HUSKER-LOBO (@huskerwolfe) December 17, 2014

CNN chalked the campaign up as a success all the same. Later in the evening, the network thanked respondents for boosting #AskACop to the top national trend: