Police in Chisago County, Minnesota, thanked a suspect for livestreaming his 100 MPH chase, which made it that much easier to catch him. Wasn’t that nice of him?
Deputies with the Chisago County Sheriff’s Office certainly thought so. In fact, they appreciated it so much that they posted an open letter addressed directly to the suspect.
“Dear Criminal, we just wanted to say… thank you. Not for the 100+ mph midnight tour of Chisago County you started. That part felt unnecessarily dangerous,” the letter began.
“It all started with a simple traffic stop. Just a few lane and equipment violations. Our deputy walked up to your window, and there you were: avoiding eye contact, mumbling, and staring at your phone as if it was going to text you an escape plan.
“Then, without so much as a proper goodbye, you sped off. You threw trash out the window. You turned your headlights off. Apparently becoming invisible was part of the strategy? You drove over 100 mph, crossing lanes of traffic like you were auditioning for the Fast & the Delusional.
“The good news? It was the middle of the night, so thankfully there was no one else on the road.
“The most interesting part, though, was discovering you decided to livestream part of the pursuit on Facebook. That’s a bold move. Most people use Facebook to share vacation photos or pictures of their kids playing sports. You used it to provide evidence, taking community engagement to a whole other level.
“During your broadcast, you told everyone we were trying to PIT your vehicle. We weren’t,” the letter revealed.
“We did, however, introduce your tires to a nice set of Stop Sticks. Relationships are all about meeting the right people, and your quick escape on the traffic stop kept us from spending more time getting to know you.”
The letter continued on and ended with a suggestion for the suspect.
“One last thing, from a place of genuine concern… Ingesting your meth before we arrested you really isn’t a wellness plan we’d recommend,” it read.
Commenters on Facebook appear to have found their new favorite sheriff’s office on social media
Naturally, such a well-written, sarcastic, and humorous post by a sheriff’s office generated a slew of appreciative comments. Not only was it shared over 470 times and received over 4,000 likes, but it also received over 400 comments, pretty much all of them positive.
“Whoever wrote this needs a raise,” one person wrote.
“To the PR person, please never stop being the PR person,” read another comment.
“You have to be the best county in our state as the humor comes out so brilliantly and I love it,” someone else wrote.
“I still follow CCSO all the way down here in Texas just for these stories,” another fan commented.
“To whoever is writing these postings, you’re a hoot! I follow the page and don’t even live in the county,” wrote another commenter.