The Mobile County Sheriffâs Office in Alabama has left a lot of people raging after announcing how they plan to spend the festive season. Â
In what are already tense times for relations between US citizens and the police force, many were disgusted with their decision to plaster the office Christmas tree with mugshots of people that have been arrested or are wanted for crimes in the area.
To make matters worse, the tree is topped off with a pair of spare inmate sandals.
To further the unsavoury move, the department are also presenting a number of âspecial christmas offersâ to âthugsâ. These include but are not limited to a new âholiday jumpsuitâ and matching flip flops.
Itâs unclear whether the department are being serious or not, but many people have taken it as such. The post was commented on almost 8,000 times and made national news in the US.
This is why people want to defund the police. In Alabama, the Mobile County Sheriff's Office, @team_sheriff, put up⦠https://t.co/h7Z8KYhPwdâ Beth Shelburne (@Beth Shelburne) 1607095231
@nowthisnews WTF! And they wonder why so many Americans no longer trust the police.â Susan Brown (@Susan Brown) 1607441532
@nowthisnews Crime and it's effects are funny? The police and sheriff's offices as comedy clubs? Comedy kills fewer⦠https://t.co/LDh3AAMDRdâ linda seals (@linda seals) 1607442521
The Mobile County Sheriff's office, @team_sheriff, took down one offensive post from their Fbook page, but left the⦠https://t.co/75CL9VVxsGâ Tabitha Isner (@Tabitha Isner) 1607195217
A spokesperson for the force resisted the backlash insisting: âIt's a good thing. It's a good thing in a community that they have taken these career criminals off the streets. We were thanking them and showing the results of Thug Thursday.â
âItâs funny and does draw attention, and that is why we share it.â
This mindset canât have lasted long - the post has since been deleted. Itâs yet to be seen whether they try to rectify it.
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