The Kankakee County Sheriff's Office is defending itself after a recent post on its Facebook page sparked controversy.
The posting which was published Wednesday and has since been removed, made light of President Donald Trump’s recent wiretapping allegations with an illustrated meme of Trump and Former President Barack Obama: [[415900903, C]]
“You never know who’s spying on you to see if/when you lock your doors,” the caption read. “Don’t make it easy on criminals. Make sure your doors are locked every night at 9 p.m.”
The image immediately stirred critical comments, but it also received some supporters.
In response, the Kankakee County Sheriff's Office, explained themselves, saying that they were simply trying to come up with a creative way to remind residents to lock their doors. But they removed the image hours later, around 2 p.m. Friday afternoon.
“Kankakee County has seen a huge increase in burglaries to unlocked vehicles, garages and sheds in the last few months,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement posted to its Facebook page. “Rather than attempt to reinvent the wheel, Sheriff Mike Downey researched and found an innovative approach police departments in Kansas and Florida were utilizing called the #9PMRoutine.”
The sheriff's department said it is using celebrities and current events to draw attention to the increasing problem.
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“Due to tremendous budget cuts the Kankakee County Sheriff’s Office has been reduced from 67 deputies to 44 deputies,” the statement read. “We are attempting to utilize innovative, effective and efficient techniques to deal with crime.”
Before removing the meme, they kept the momentum going with a new illustration, this time featuring Steve Harvey: [[415902183, C]]
