North Haven Police Remove Alleged Racist Social Media Post

NORTH HAVEN, CT — North Haven Police have removed a social media post related to their popular “#9pmroutine” after receiving complaints that some believed it was racist. Police across the state (and the country) have been engaging the community on social media in the “#9pmroutine” in which they remind residents to lock their vehicles to combat the ongoing rash of vehicle break-ins.

North Haven Police have been using photos of celebrities or popular movies and TV shows in their nightly postings to help promote the campaign. A posting from Jan. 14 that depicted a fictional character on the HBO series The Wire prompted complaints of racism that were reported to First Selectman Michael Freda. Read the police department’s response to the incident, via a post on Facebook, below:

“Approximately five to six weeks ago, the North Haven Police Department began a nightly campaign to remind residents to lock their car doors and to properly secure their car keys and key fobs. Identified on the department’s web-page as “#9pmroutine”, TV and movie celebrities, popular people in the news, including Santa Claus, were depicted in the nightly Facebook postings.

“On January 14, 2018, Omar Devone Little, the fictional character of the HBO series The Wire was the celebrity posted with a caption that read; “Fans of HBO’s The Wire know that when OMAR is coming your doors better be locked. #9pmroutine.”

“Evidently, some individuals perceived that this posting was racist and they had anonymously complained to the Town’s First Selectman and WTNH News and requested the posting be removed.

“The North Haven Police Department does not believe this posting was racist and it would not have allowed any” #9pmroutine” posting if it was in anyway racist, or if it was felt that the posting would be offensive to anyone. The intent of this posting was simply to use a popular TV personality, “Omar Little of The Wire” to get our nightly message out to the community.

“In an effort to ease the concerns of the complainants, the Omar posting was removed from the department’ web-page this morning (January 19, 2018).

“Please continue to follow our “#9pmroutine” postings on our Facebook and Twitter pages.”