Tremont Police Seeking Snitches in Now-Deleted Facebook Post

Tremont Police think rats can help the town’s growing drug problem.

On Tuesday morning, Tremont police arrested a 25-year-old man following a search warrant on his borough home.

They say Tyler Haas faces a count of possessing a weapon of mass destruction as well as other drug- and weapons-related charges.

Tremont police got help from several other local law enforcement officials executing the warrant Tuesday.

But then, Tremont PD kinda went a little off the rails.

Tremont Police Say They Want a Few Good Snitches

Police posted about the arrest on Facebook. You can check out the post here:

The comments range from congratulations for police to moral objections from residents and curious readers.

Then, Tremont police take it a step further. In a reply one comment, the police write back, “If you or anyone you know are interested in doing controlled buys for us, please let us know! It legitimately takes a community.”

If we want to do what now?

Not familiar with the lingo? A controlled buy is when a confidential informant working for police buy drugs from a suspected drug dealer. The informant (or CI) goes back to police and confirms the drug deal.

In some circles, these people are called rats, narcs, or snitches. Others may call them a stool pigeon, a stoolie, a fink, a rat fink, a talebearer, squealer …

Either way, this must be a first.

So, this next post — since deleted — would be a second.

Feeling frustrated, the person in charge of Tremont PD’s Facebook feed decided to post a follow-up to Tuesday morning’s arrest. This post reads more like a Help Wanted ad. Good indication of that are the first two words: “HELP WANTED”.

The post goes on:

HELP WANTED

Have charges hanging over your head? Maybe you’re just sick and tired of the drug infestation plaguing this area?

Your Tremont Police Department is seeking your help! We know everyone knows where all of the hotspots are for drug activity in Tremont and Frailey Township. Sign up with us NOW. We need people to get in touch who know the drug world and can help us change it! Now is the time to lend a hand and clean up your community with us.

Buy drugs for the Tremont Police!

Snitches Get Stitches, Right?

We get it. Police frustration hitting a high here, surely. Tremont is a tiny town plagued by the same problem facing a lot of Schuylkill County communities. They’ve become overrun with meth dealers, heroin jockeys, and fentanyl pushers. Apparently, there’s a big market for these drugs here. Tremont is just one of these places.

And it wasn’t always like this and not that long ago, either. It’s a shame to see so many quiet small Schuylkill County communities ravaged by these drugs.

But asking people to turn into rats — and against themselves, really — isn’t the right way to go about making things better. This is a dangerous request. And thankfully it’s been deleted, for the most part.

We know this happens in the so-called war on drugs. There are CIs everywhere, probably. They put a lot on the line to bring down bigger pins until investigators reach the kingpins. CIs probably provide a lot of invaluable information to police in these investigations. And Tremont should know where to find some in places other than Facebook.

But asking for common citizens to sign up as snitches? Everyone knows snitches get stitches, right?

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