Cleveland Police use the “Dolly Parton Challenge” to locate a fugitive. Image: Facebook/@clevelandpolice
Police departments in the United States and United Kingdom are upgrading their “wanted” posters by using a trendy photo collage of suspected criminals.
Since the meme format which uses social networking sites LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Tinder became viral, U.S. local police decided to ride the wave in the hopes that it will help find a man wanted for aggravated burglary.
Cleveland Police is looking for a man named Scott Mizsei, 32 years old, as per their Facebook post last Tuesday, Jan. 28. The police stated that Mizsei is connected with a number of offenses in the area. Despite the authorities’ wacky post, they warned the public about the seriousness of the matter.
“Do not approach him if you see him,” the authorities advised. “[C]all Cleveland Police on 101 with information regarding his whereabouts.”
Instead of the usual black-and-white sketch, the authorities provided several looks of the wanted man, using photos which appear to be sourced from the man’s social media. Mizsei was dressed in a blue collared shirt for his LinkedIn photo while his face was covered with sunglasses on the Facebook portion. He wore a hooded jacket for his Instagram look, while the Tinder part showed him shirtless, revealing his tattoos below his collarbone area and on his shoulders.
The police department from the U.S. thanked a local police force in the United Kingdom for the inspiration.
In a similar manner, Durham Constabulary used four photos of one Paul Bishop, a man believed to be involved in a burglary last December. The photos of Bishop appear to have been edited in such a way to comically show various backgrounds and locations, to fit the vibe of each of the four platforms.
“Have you seen Paul Bishop?” the police department inquired on their Facebook page on Jan. 24.
The police also requested the public to contact them in case anyone would know of his whereabouts.
International media has dubbed the collage as the “Dolly Parton challenge,” after American singer Dolly Parton popularized the meme on her social media accounts. JB
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