Kansas sheriff’s office said it’d block all Facebook access. It ‘created a monster’

Citing the extensive and repeated misuse of Facebook and other social media platforms by county residents, the Allen County Sheriff’s Office posted a 30-day notice on Facebook stating that it will be blocking all social media access in Allen County.

The “social media block” is effective between Feb. 28 and March 1, according to the Jan. 29 notice.

“We are in hopes that this short ‘shut down’ period will make people more aware of how they use social media and the actual power law enforcement can have over it,” the office commented.

Note: There are no days between Feb. 28 and March 1.

The post received 3,700 comments, 6,100 shares and 2,400 reactions in about 24 hours.

In many cases, people raised concerns about First Amendment rights and threatened to take legal action.

“Seriously I will lead a class action suit if this happens this is infringing on my right to life and happiness and free speech!” one person replied to the notice.

The Allen County Sheriff’s Office encouraged the lawsuit, even providing the hours of the county courthouse.

“We might suggest that the framers of the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence wouldn’t understand this whole social media thing and would be asking you and others why people just don’t talk to your friends and family directly,” the office replied.

Some argued that the notice cannot possibly be true.

“Yes, it is very true,” the sheriff’s office replied. “We have had enough of the craziness and this is our first step in dealing with the situation. We hope it sends the message about the power of social media and how it affects people’s lives.”

Others argued the office will have trouble catching suspects and notifying residents about local crimes, as the Allen County Sheriff’s Office frequently utilizes social media to do so.

“Anyone with tips can still call us as the phones will still be working,” the office rebutted.

The sheriff’s office said it receives many calls from people who feel harassed, scammed or taken advantage of due to social media. The office said it then suggests to unfriend or block those people, “but our advice goes unheeded and people keep calling us back it seems.

“So, we feel this should be a good first step and we thought it best to give everyone some notice,” it continued.

Many did not check the calendar before commenting and threatening class action lawsuits.

Just six hours after the post went up, the office posted a new photo:

“You do know there really is NO WAY to stop the power of social media right?” the photo reads. Attached is a calendar proving that days between Feb. 28 and March 1 do not exist.

“Please share (the new post) as we seem to have created a monster,” the office posted. “ ... Our post ... about ‘shutting off social media’ was another successful demonstration of the power of social media. It wasn’t intended to be that way.”

The office said the original post unexpectedly went viral.

And while it started out “slightly humorous,” the situation escalated when people began calling the sheriff, dispatchers and the courthouse.

“We want to remind everyone, read everything you see on the internet closely,” the office posted. “Check the facts. Not everything is true no matter how good it may look. For those who fell really (and we mean REALLY) hard for this, we would ask that you reflect on the role social media plays in your life.

“Just so we are clear,” the office continued, “law enforcement has no way to limit or otherwise restrict anyone’s usage of social media, internet, telephone or anything like that. We have enough trouble dealing with our children and their phones.”

Allen County includes the southeastern Kansas cities of Bassett, Bayard, Carlyle, Elsmore, Gas, Geneva, Humboldt, Iola, La Harpe, Moran, Mildred, Petrolia and Savonburg.

This story was originally published January 30, 2018 at 11:48 AM with the headline "Kansas sheriff’s office said it’d block all Facebook access. It ‘created a monster’."