In the air of the strange and unusual, because I myself have been called strange and unusual, have you heard of the rap-battle challenge news out of Charlton, MA this morning? No? In essence it's just a professional post informing Facebook fans of the Charlton PD of the situation.
Apparently some older individuals drive up to unsuspecting teens, start "spitting bars" (a direct quote from the Facebook post) and challenge the children to do the same - inspiring a rap battle.
What's the crime?
Being really weird. That's what. The PD, according to the post, says the event is under investigation as the kindly kids contacted parents ... who were then - understandably - confused and a bit concerned. But hey, we live in social media where with a simple share there's the chance anything can go misunderstood.
The original post (OP, see I'm learning) clearly states there was, let me quote to be exact, "frightening to the boys, nothing made this appear to be an attempted abduction." They then provided a number if people had any information or on-going events.
Points to you Charlton PD. Seems pretty straight forward. But I got the most kick out of a follow up explanation where they clarify the post that the police "were not investigating Rap music being sung ... just posted the facts ..." Their Facebook page post is linked in this article above and through an NBC news piece also linked.
They then go on to say what most police probably want to on social media when they're put into a corner explaining suspicious behavior where no crime had been done. It's so well-written I was inspired to write up this blob of a blog about it: "We have encourage everyone to report suspicious activity to the police, and will continue to do so; even if it means we will be ridiculed for doing so." There's not much more annoying like the attempt to fight the fleeting battle of defending yourself online. It shows when inspiration hits a writer, in a news article, a magazine feature or novel, it seems the officer in charge of social media there had this. To you officer, the beauty of this line is appreciated. Thank you.
And if this rap battle was actually meant to be nefarious, I myself have been victim to scams. A few times people tried to convince me I owed thousands of dollars in taxes to the IRS and that I had a warrant for an arrest. Another asked me to start typing a few special keystrokes on my computer in which they'd take control of the computer. Worst was in person on vacation where I was asked where I got my shoes. Suddenly there were more people all around - admittedly acknowledging and beginning this conversation newbie mistake.
But ridicule shouldn't stop you from writing up informative posts to tell your community about the strange and unusual. Even when trolls come out from under their bridge, don't let this stop you - there's no way to know how many newbies are out there who just might get caught up in a situation just because they weren't thinking. I'd venture to guess that the majority of people out there do appreciate what - especially the little things like a social media post - law enforcement does.
Even if their way to show it is overwhelming silence.
P.S. I do understand that being really weird is not a crime.
Jonathan Kozlowski
Jonathan Kozlowski was with Officer.com, Law Enforcement Technology, and Law Enforcement Product News from August 2006 to 2020.
As former Managing Editor for Officer Media Group, he brought a dedicated focus to the production of the print publications and management of the Officer.com online product and company directory. You can connect with Jonathan through LinkedIn.
Jonathan participated as a judge for the 2019 and 2020 FOLIO: Eddie & Ozzie Awards. In 2012, he received an APEX Award of Excellence in the Technology & Science Writing category for his article on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in police work, aptly titled "No Runway Needed".