DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood's vitriolic vulgarity dominates the law enforcemnt agency's social media pages on Facebook where there is little or no separation between postings presenting wanted individuals or those apprehended and charged with crimes identified as "scumbags" by the elected politician's civilian PIOs right next to or above and below other postings where the emphasis is on the good works of deputies and volunteers centerd around children's programs and community service announcements.
Invariably, the sheriff's colorful and inappropriate language sets the tone in encouraging use of curse words, sexual profanity, hate spech, race baiting, and in some postings, encouragement of physical violence. It has gotten to the point where some posters focus more on trying to outdo one another in gratuitous graphic descriptions that seek condemnation and even death of an individual or individuals labeled as "Scumbags" and criminals" by the sheriff and his handomely-paid staffers before those held up for ridicule and scorn have even had ther day in court.
Often times, municipal and county elected leaders, public service employees and high-ranking sheriff's adminstrators names show up as "likes" in a given string that may have started out clean, but invetibly becomes laced with deplorable language rarely found on the pages of other elected leaders and even those of countless citizens.
And what is so ironic is the lack of grammar and puncuation skills of those who sit in judgment of those singled out by the Volusia County Shriff's Office as criminals, and for offenses that would not even merit mention im other cop shop social media settings.
Even the mantra of government at local, county, state and federal levels tht each and every person accued of a crime is presumed innocent, even when apprehended, until or unless adjudicated guilty and convicted in a court of law and sentenced.