Police departments in Merrill, Wisconsin, and Johnson City, Texas, are trying to catch potential criminals by playing upon their coronavirus fears.
Wednesday, the Merrill Police Department issued a public service announcement (PSA) on its Facebook page to warn methamphetamine users that their drugs “may be contaminated with the Corona Virus.”
“Please take it to the Merrill Police Department and we will test it for free. If you’re not comfortable going into an office setting, please request any officer and they’ll test your Meth in the privacy of your home,” the department wrote, adding, “Please spread the word! We are here for you”:,
P.S.AWARNING: If you have recently purchased Meth, it may be contaminated with the Corona Virus. Please take it to the …
Posted by Merrill Police Department on Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Thursday, the department issued an update after its viral post garnered varied reactions from social media users.
The post read:
Just to give you some history, we have actually experienced people report their illegal drugs being stolen, being ripped off in a drug deal, being sold a look-a-like illegal substance, etc. We have even experienced drunk drivers coming to pick up arrested drunk drivers as their “sober responsible party”.
So this attempt, although a long shot, still had some possibility behind it. We will take those easy grabs at removing poison from our community whenever we can. That is our role which we un-apologetically must fulfill. It is our hope that an arrest would be the positive catalyst someone may need to start recovery.
It is our hope that every drug arrest both works to hold offenders accountable for their deeds and provides them with a path toward treatment options. It is truly heart-warming when we see people succeed in such circumstances. It does happen!
Also on Wednesday, the Johnson City, Texas, Police Department issued its own PSA regarding “contaminated” meth in an effort to get potential offenders to surrender their drugs to authorities.
“If you have meth with you please get it tested prior to use,” the post said.
“If you prefer to keep your meth in the privacy of your own home you may contact Blanco County Dispatch at 830 868 7104 and have an officer come to your house to test your meth for contamination,” the department stated.
Despite the departments’ humorous posts, Vice President Mike Pence assured citizens Thursday that “the risk of the spread of the coronavirus in the United States of America remains low,” according to Breitbart News.
Pence continued:
That’s according to all of our experts. And it’s a direct result of the unprecedented action that President Trump took last month, when he closed our border to Chinese individuals coming into the country and also established a quarantining effort. Our White House Coronavirus Task Force has literally been meeting every day for the last six weeks.
“And the American people can be confident that we’re going to bring, at the president’s direction, the full resources of the federal government to bear to protect the people of this country,” he concluded.
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