America is rife with social tensions and conflict right now, and police departments across the country could use some good PR. In this particular case, good PR could come with negative consequences for the officers involved.
Sometime at the end of last month, a couple of deputies with the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office took part in a totally-legal race at the drag strip, but made it possibly-illegal by racing in their patrol cars. Reception there was amazing and, as it usually happens these days, the whole thing was captured on camera and posted online.
The video went viral (predictably so) and, with the exposure and the fame came the potential downfall for the deputies: the bosses are not impressed. ABC affiliate WFAA says that, right after video of the Dodge Charger Pursuits racing at the Yello Belly dragstrip in Grand Prairie, Texas, went viral, a formal investigation was launched.
The Sheriff’s Office is not OK with deputies racing their patrol cars in an unsanctioned race, even if it takes place at the dragstrip so it’s legal. The findings of the investigation will determine the fate of the two deputies within the department.
On the other hand, people from the community tell WFAA that the cops shouldn’t be sanctioned because they reached out and bonded with the community in a way no other cop has done in recent months. In the process, they also threw their support behind racing at the dragstrip, as opposed to on public streets.
This is excellent PR for the force and, as such, the two should be embraced as hero-types, not punished. The same sentiment echoes in the comments section for the video available at the bottom of the page.
“In the eyes of the public, we saw it as a sign on positivity, based on [what] we have going on in this country,” one person tells the media outlet. “We don’t think it’ll be right if they got in trouble.”
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