Nothing causes your heart to sink quite like seeing flashing red and blue lights from a police car in your rearview mirror.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol knows this all too well and they’ve used that feeling to create an amusing Valentine’s Day message. In a Facebook post, the force posted a picture of a Dodge Charger Pursuit along with a message that reads “Making hearts skip a beat since 1933.”
While it’s a tongue-in-cheek way to wish everyone a happy and safe Valentine’s Day, not everyone was amused. The post quickly raked up hundreds of comments and many people seized on the opportunity to criticize the force.
Many of the negative comments focused on speeding tickets and one person called the Ohio State Highway Patrol a “money making scheme.” Another decried tickets as an “extortion fee” written by “road pirates.”
People also used the post to bring up criminal actions of former troopers including those of Jason Delcol who was sentenced to two years in prison for his involvement in a drug-trafficking ring last October.
Despite a lot of negative feedback, there were plenty of people who saw the message for what it was – a light-hearted joke. Others also took the opportunity to praise troopers for putting their lives on the line to assist others.
One of the more interesting comments noted the fear of seeing a police car has gotten worse as departments have moved away from the Ford Crown Victoria. While was pretty easy to spot a Crown Vic, drivers now have to look out for the Ford Police Interceptor Utility, Ford Police Responder Hybrid, Ford F-150 Police Responder, Dodge Charger Pursuit and Dodge Durango Pursuit – among others.
