MORRISTOWN, VT - Tactics used on social media by the Morristown Police Department (MPD) to help lead to an arrest have sparked criticism amongst community members.
On Wednesday, May 20, MPD turned the search for a wanted community member into a social media "challenge", offering five smash burgers and two chocolate shakes in exchange for tips leading to an arrest, VTdigger reported. "As always, your winnings can and will be delivered to you discreetly if you wish,” the department wrote on their Facebook page.
The post garnered hundreds of reactions and shares. It was the latest in a series of similar posts the department has made since 2024. The subject in the post turned herself in the very next day, police said.
The initiative, dubbed "Wanted Wednesdays," is when MPD uses splashy language meant to drive engagement from the community, along with prizes ranging from Lego sets to movie tickets, in an effort to solicit information from the public. The posts are used to assist in the arrests of people with active warrants.
"It’s about catching the attention of the people that are wanted, and also those that will help” in their apprehension, Lt. Todd Baxter of the Morristown Police Department said in an interview Thursday, May 21. What MPD is doing is not unique. In fact, they are part of a broader trend in which police departments across the country have turned to social media to solicit tips on wanted individuals.
The online posts, however, can have long-lasting negative consequences for those named in the posts. A 2021 investigation by the Los Angeles Times found police departments around the country increasingly use recurring social media campaigns such as "Wanted Wednesdays" and "Fugitive Fridays" to publicize warrants and solicit tips.
The posts, which can stay online long after someone has served their time or been cleared of charges, can impact future job searches, housing prospects and relationships, according to the LA Times.
Concerns about police mug shots and the persistence of online materials have even promoted changes in journalism standards. In 2021, the Associated Press announced it would largely stop naming suspects accused of minor crimes or publishing their mugshots in brief crime stories, saying such reports can remain online indefinitely even when charges are later dropped or reduced.
In 2015, South Burlington police stopped routinely posting mugshots on Facebook after then-Chief Trevor Whipple said the department's comment section had produced a "flurry of inappropriate comments."
MPD turned off its own comments section on the Facebook posts after the comments section "got crappy," according to Baxter. MPD, however, has not stopped putting up posts altogether. MPD's initiative started in 2023, when a man the department was trying to arrest ran from police multiple times, Baxter said.
He said that every one of the 12 cases for which the department issued a "Wanted Wednesdays" post led to an arrest. He said three or four of those people chose to turn themselves in. Baxter said he believes the initiative is helping the people his department arrests, many of whom he said struggle with addiction, by getting them reengaged with the legal system.
He said that while he understands why some might take issue with the tone of the posts, he feels the department is being respectful and weighing suspects’ rights against the public interest –– and the need to grab attention. "Somebody could make an argument that we’re shaming them, but I dare say that, you know, emotions aren’t a bad thing, shame being one of them,” he said. “As long as it doesn’t go overboard."
MPD takes the posts down as soon as the person in question is arrested, Baxter said. Tim Monaghan, who runs Riverbend Market in Morrisville, said that he feels the posts are trying to be respectful. "It’s a serious thing,” he said. “I feel like they’re making as light about it as you can with giving away prizes for information, but I don’t feel like it’s been intentionally shaming a person."
"I think it’s generally a positive thing that engages the community,” he added. “It lets people know that the police are trying." Rebecca Girrell, who serves as the pastor at the United Community Church of Morrisville, has a different take on the initiative. "While I appreciate and support our local law enforcement and the work they do to keep our community safe, holding people accountable for alleged crimes is not a challenge or a game,” she said.
"I’m concerned about this approach that dehumanizes people based on their mistakes instead of understanding that even people who are accused of crimes are human beings and members of our community,” she added. “This is not in the spirit that I’m used to seeing from the Morristown Police Department."
Comments