By Cliff Pinckard
cleveland.com
MOBILE, Ala. — The photo of a Christmas tree that featured mugshots as ornaments has been removed from an Alabama sheriff’s department’s Facebook page after it drew sharp criticism, reports say.
According to al.com, a spokesperson with the Mobile County Sheriff’s Department said the “thugshot” ornaments were photoshopped onto the tree and that they aren’t actually on a tree in the department.
“We have decorated our Tree with THUGSHOTS to show how many Thugs we have taken off the streets of Mobile this year! We could not have done it without our faithful followers!” a caption with the photo said before it was removed, NBC 15 News reports.
The Mobile branch of the NAACP said it received several calls from Mobile-area residents angered by the post, NBC News reports. Chapter President Robert Clopton said the post was “inappropriate, shameful, disrespectful, despicable, disgusting and embarrassing to the citizens of Mobile County.”
But Lori Myles, spokeswoman with the department, tells al.com that most of the criticism was coming from people who don’t live in Mobile. She said the department had received death threats and threats of burning down the department’s building.
Myles said the department usually features a “Thug Thursday” and that it has led to the arrest of wanted offenders.
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