WALKER, MI – When the Walker Police Department first created its own Facebook page, the officer manning the operations knew he wanted to be different from other police social media accounts.
He wanted a page that wasn’t completely fact-based and centered around basic, routine information police typically release.
Yet, for the 1 millionth-plus time, the officer found himself reminding people how to drive in the snow when the first significant accumulating snowfall hit West Michigan.
Meet Mitch Harkema, the brains behind every – or in his words “about 95%” – post on the Walker Police Department Facebook page that will make you say, “OK, now that’s funny.” Or at a minimum, leave you a little more informed.
In most cases, it’s not what type of information the department puts out there that draws in a crowd, but how it’s done.
The posts – usually accompanied by some relatable image – might be a warning of another ongoing scam or notice of an upcoming road closure. But lately, people are turning to the department’s Facebook page for more than the latest police happenings.
Although the information may seem like common sense, it’s typical notices that are brought up each year, Harkema said.
“Yup, it’s happening. The white stuff is falling again. This happens EVERY winter here, but let’s review winter driving tips for the 1,506,789th time,” one post reads, citing a list of driving tips. “Extra credit points: Don’t leave your car unattended and unlocked while it’s warming up.”
Harkema, a community resource officer, has manned the department’s Facebook page – that has about 9,000 followers – since its creation in 2017. Over the years, he’s added a bit of flavor to the page that’s become a favorite to many in West Michigan.
Harkema sees it as a way to connect with the Walker community – a city with a population of about 25,000 folks – and get a point across, in a more humorous way.
“We want our community to know that we are the police and we have a job to do,” he told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press in an interview. “But, we like to have fun at work just like everybody else.”
Some of those shenanigans can come from a shift that might drag on. That became a reality for Harkema earlier this month when a planned visit to four Walker-area schools was canceled because of snow.
“We definitely have, in the police department, our meme lords,” he said.
When Harkema was notified his full day of activities at elementary classrooms was off, he decided to take a few pictures around Walker and created his version of the popular “Sad Pablo Escobar” meme.
For those not familiar with the meme, it features a character, Pablo Escobar, from the Netflix series, “Narcos.” In the series of images, the character is photographed looking sad, lonely and waiting for something to do.
Harkema, in his own attempt, decided to have a fellow officer take different pictures of him – typically sitting by himself somewhere in Walker and looking depressed – and a collage was created.
The post grabbed over 1,000 reactions and dozens of positive comments. It caught the eyes of local resident Wendy Rozeveld Sikkes, a “Top Fan” who follows the page. Sikkes said she first started following the page to stay updated on community events, but it later became something more.
“Once I started seeing their posts I just really started to enjoy their comedy along with informative topics,” she told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. “In today’s times of a lot of negativity, it’s just nice to see their lightheartedness added all while providing good information.”
Another user made a connection between Walker and another Michigan police department that’s also made a name for itself on social media for its wit and humor.
“I see City of Walker Police Department-Michigan is trying to give Bath Township Police Department-Michigan a run for their money,” the user wrote.
Over the years, the Bath Township Police Department, near the Lansing area, has gone viral with its witty and slightly sarcastic Facebook posts.
“I will 100% give credit where credit is due,” Harkema said. “Following that page, we said, ‘We need to take a little piece of their puzzle and bring it here.’”
“I don’t think every police department could pull that off on their Facebook page,” he added. “We’re very lucky in the city of Walker that the citizens love to see that side of us.”
The officer manning the Bath Police Department’s well-known Facebook page is happy to see his efforts rubbing off elsewhere.
“I think the success, if you can call it that, of our page has shown admin in other departments that it is OK to be a bit goofy and have some fun online,” Bath Township Police Officer Trenton Bailey told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. “People respond well to it and it ultimately is a huge tool for helping us find success in our investigations if we can get our followers involved.”
To follow the Walker Police Department on Facebook, click here.
In the meantime, keep an eye out for a potential expansion to other social media platforms, Harkema said.
Read more on MLive:
Grand Rapids-area apple orchard going up for sale after 115 years in business
DNR: Winter is the best time to check for this tree-killing invasive pest
Homicide suspect dead after ‘running gun battle’ with police, Grand Rapids chief says
Ad Choices