The Torrington Police Department posted about the deal they struck on Facebook.
Doing it for the likes.
A fugitive told a Connecticut police department he will turn himself in — if his wanted poster snags more than 15,000 likes.
The Torrington Police Department posted about the deal they struck on Facebook.
“Jose Simms (The first warrant pictured) negotiated with me earlier this week (Through Facebook) and has agreed to turn himself in to Torrington Police if we can get 15,000 "likes" on this post (I said 10,000 he wanted 20,000, we split). It will be difficult but is doable,” Lt. Brett Johnson wrote.
Johnson also asked for any tips that may lead to Simms’ whereabouts. He is believed to be in New York. Even though cops are making the non-traditional social media plea, Johnson stated they will continue to use traditional efforts to find him.
Simms has seven warrants out for his arrest, including risk of injury to a child.
The post already has more than 15,000 likes on Facebook, but Torrington Police told InsideEdition.com Simms has not yet turned himself in.
“He has not been captured but we continue to follow up on any leads that come in,” Lt. Bart Barown III wrote in an email to InsideEdition.com.
Simms told the Associated Press he is tired of running away from authorities and plans on keeping up his end of the bargain.
“I wanted to give them a little incentive for all the hard work they put in to catch me,” he said.
The “deal” is getting some mixed reaction.
“Liked & shared...it’s most likely one of the craziest requests I’ve liked, but for you who risk your lives everyday to keep each and every one of us safe, I thank you for your service,” one woman wrote.
“I cannot believe we are helping a criminal get attention, fame, and notoriety for bad behavior. This is nuts,” said another.
An expert in police ethics and procedure, Maki Haberfeld, told the AP that this type of negotiation is unethical.
“It turns this into a joke,” she said. “People will start looking at these various violations of law as a game.”
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