#CoolStoryBro: Murrieta PD Strikes Again With Irreverent Social Media Posts

MURRIETA, CA—The Murrieta Police Department is expanding its social media presence, appealing to a younger audience with posts about crime, arrests, and unusual activities involving officers. A recent post shared on Facebook, GenZ style, has captured their audience's attention in a way not seen in over a year.

This isn't the department's first attempt at irreverent social media posts. Last year, a series of Facebook messages obscured criminals' faces with Lego heads, a practice that Lego discouraged and ultimately disallowed. Since then, Murrieta's Social Media team has sought an engaging way to get back into the swing of social storytelling.

The meat behind the recent messages is clear: if you get caught breaking the law in Murrieta, prepare for social media shame to follow.

To start the week, the department shared the arrest of 27-year-old Chandler Fulks of Murrieta on the afternoon of February 16.

Fulks is currently out on a $150,000 bond, released on Feb. 21. According to jail records, he was originally held on misdemeanor marijuana sale, obstructing officers, and evading arrest, and felonies of reckless driving, possession of narcotics for sale, distribution of controlled substances, and other charges.

But when the police department spokesperson tells the story on Social Media, that's when the magic happens.

Related: John Oliver Roasts Murrieta Cops And Lego In Recent Lego-Head Debacle

The department's post compellingly tells the story, sharing the story of the arrest, how it came to pass, and what happened next.

"A few weeks ago, the “A Nights” crew was out and about looking for one such wayward subject known to have a felony warrant for his arrest. Happily, the subject in question thought so little of his court obligations that he decided a jaunt around town was a good idea. #itwasnotagoodidea A sharp-eyed Corporal located the vehicle and when he attempted to conduct a traffic stop, the driver accelerated at a high rate of speed, running a stop sign along the way. #thosearentoptionalbro #whereareyougoing

Turns out, he was headed home but since this is big kid stuff, running inside and yelling “Base!” is not sufficient. Exiting his vehicle, he “sprinted” #airquotes into his open garage, only to be caught by a much fitter Cpl. Meadows. #goteem

Unfortunately for suspect, he is not a very tidy dealer and had some of his product in plain view inside his whip. #probablecause #wheretheressometheresmore Officers then searched the vehicle and guess what else #warrantboi had?

LSD tabs, cocaine, psilocybin mushrooms, money and a 9mm drum magazine. #fullbingocard

Officers contacted detectives from our Special Enforcement Team (SET) who responded out and authored a search warrant for the residence. And wouldn’t ya know it? Our heavy-footed suspect had a smidge more inside:

The list included:

540.02g Cocaine #scarfacemuch
45.5g MDMA #ecstasy
28.6g Methamphetamine
179.6g Psilocybin mushrooms
295.5 Xanax pills
100.7g Hash
50 Adderall pills
1175.3g Marijuana
40 rounds 9mm ammunition
1 high capacity drum magazine
41 bars THC butter
10 mushroom infused chocolate bars
6 parchment papers with concentrated cannabis
$2592 cash

Not exactly “personal use” quantities," they said.

No court date was currently listed for Fulks, however, the department spokesperson wrote on Facebook:

"Fun footnote: In addition to the felony warrant and NEW felony narcotic sales charges, the male was evaluated and determined to be driving under the influence (DUI). He was booked into jail that night. Let’s hope for his sake that he makes his next court date."

This week, Lt. Miguel Garcia spoke with Patch about the department's social media posts that have captured the nation's attention.

"Our department's social media team actively experiments with various writing styles to effectively engage different audiences," he wrote in an email to Patch. "We want our content to resonate with various groups and create meaningful connections across our platforms."

What do you think about this new irreverent police practice?

Related:

John Oliver Roasts Murrieta Cops And Lego In Recent Lego-Head Debacle

Hard 'No' From LEGO: Murrieta Cops Must Stop Usage Of Lego Heads