WFTV News (Florida)
PALM BAY, Fla. -- People looking for information about the Palm Bay Police Department may be surprised to find a website that mocks the men and women in blue and the job they do. The problem is, nobody knows who’s behind the website that lists officers by name.
The Palm Bay police chief says he just found out about the site Friday morning, even though it was set up back in April and has been trash-talking police officers since at least June.
The website, PalmBayPolice.com, gives a not-so complimentary view of the city’s force. While only the webmaster knows for sure, it appears an angry motorist purchased the web site and is using it to seek revenge for getting a ticket.
The chief says it’s frustrating.
“But, you know in reality, there’s nothing you can do about it. They go out and buy domain names from companies and they can put whatever they want on it. It’s unfortunate sometimes, because, in this case, it’s very misleading,” says Chief Doug Muldoon.
The web site takes aim at certain officers, accusing them of trying to put money in the city’s coffers by setting up speed traps. The chief says it’s not so; they’re enforcing traffic to improve safety and answer to residents.
“The number one complaint we get from citizens is traffic problems. They come in on a daily basis,” says Muldoon.
Police have tried to figure out who’s behind it, if only to satisfy a curiosity and to personally respond to their gripe, but they are at a loss.
The webmaster bought the site through a Scottsdale, Arizona company, Domains By Proxy, who told Eyewitness News they are not required to disclose the site’s creator. But, shortly after our phone call, the dirty language previously on the site disappeared, replaced with a new much cleaner website. The site claims to have received well over 200,000, but Muldoon questions whether that number is valid.