‘Between You and Jesus’ Louisville PD’s Post to Drivers Doing Donuts During Blizzard Goes Viral
The Louisville Metro Police Department is taking no prisoners on social media. And I’m all about it. In a January 25th post to the official X profile (previously called Twitter), someone wrote: “If you crash tonight doing donuts in a parking lot, that’s between you and Jesus. We’re tired.” During the snowmageddon burying much of the U.S., the post went absolutely viral. The response was somehow even funnier than the original thread.
I’ve long argued that doing donuts in the snow builds safer drivers. But that’s not exaclty what the LMPD was trying to say. Here’s the entire story.
The LMPD’s chaotic social media
Many of the department’s posts during the blizzard were downright hilarious—though admittedly unhinged. Such as jokes about surging bourbon sales. Or the following gem: “Highlands folks taking ‘walkable neighborhood’ a little too seriously… seen three people skiing to Heine Bros on Bardstown rd then immediately falling on their butts. Serves you right, stay home.”
There were also good-natured videos of police officers pushing drivers out of the ditch, joining neighborhood kids in snowball fights, and live updates of a very embarrassed officer who got his cruiser stuck in the snow. But in amongst all the entertainment was a single message: “Stay home if possible.” Sure, the department mocked drivers with bald tires or who high-centered their FWD Camry on a snowbank. But the message was consistent: Everyone’s getting stuck. Don’t be like everyone.
Perhaps this “protect and serve” philosophy behind all the sarcasm is why the department stuck to its guns over the “donuts” post.
The fallout of the Louisville PD’s “donuts” post
The original “If you crash” post got seven million impressions. That’s the population of New York City. It got 124,000 likes, 9,300 reposts, and 1,200 comments. The fallout was immediate.
Reporters reached out to LMPD to ask if the account had been hacked. The mayor was grilled about his department’s social media in a Q&A.
One problem was that many readers misunderstood the post as a blank “get out of jail free” card. So the department did specify, in a hilarious way.
In fact, the police department took this whole “HR said” theme and ran with it. The public was treated to a supposed standoff between the social media team and HR, complete with a photo documenting “Walking to our doom” down the hall to HR, and a “We got our phones back, chat!” status. Who knows how much of the story is true. But if it gave Louisville residents stuck at home something to laugh about, who cares?
The final chapter of the saga is the LMPD’s official poll, asking the public whether its social media accounts should err on the side of “balanced” or “unhinged.” Weigh in below:
