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Why Have We Normalized Police Humiliating Suspected Criminals
A new trend of police departments and sheriff’s across the US has been to post photos of wanted individuals, often in humiliating, sarcastic meme-like fashion.
The increased frequency of publishing pictures of suspected criminals and police officials posting them on their social media has been championed by some, simply entertained others, but for a significant audience feels incredibly uncomfortable, exploitative and unnecessarily cruel.
The practice of leveraging social media to solicit information on the whereabouts of suspected criminals can be beneficial, especially in the event that the individual in question poses a public threat and must be urgently apprehended to protect civilians. However, most of these suspects being paraded in front of the public for laughs and derogatory comments are non-violent, accused of drugs or theft and haven’t stood trial nor been determined guilty.
Some have gone viral for having a unique appearance. Remember the “Wide Neck” man from Florida who instantly became the laughing stock of the internet due to having a broad neck? Or the 18-year old student with larger than typical ears whose…
