(File Photo)
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Social media posts claiming a Green Bay police officer was killed in a drunken driving crash at the Super Bowl are fake, according to officials.
The Green Bay Police Department warned Monday about recent Facebook posts that allege a 23-year-old GBPD officer died when “an intoxicated driver lost control, crossing multiple lanes at nearly 99 miles per hour, taking the life of a young, devoted officer who always helped others.” The post stated the officer was in Santa Clara “after volunteering to assist with preparations for Super Bowl LX.”
In a statement on social media, GBPD said:
Please know that this post is *false* and bears no truth. The officer depicted below in the screenshot of the mentioned post does not, nor have they ever, worked for the Green Bay Police Department.
Other fake NFL fandoms are reporting the same news but reporting that the officer was a member of that team’s fanbase.
If a tragedy like this were true and were to happen in our community to a Green Bay Police Officer, please know that GBPD would properly communicate this information to the public as soon as reasonably possible.
Any legitimate news from them would be sent to media outlets in an official press release, and to their official social media channels. The page that shared this false information was called “Cheesehead Nation.”
“They’re hoping you have that knee-jerk reaction and you click ‘share'”, said Green Bay Police Department Communications Coordinator Jennifer Gonzalez. “That’s where the public awareness and responsible sharing is important, because that’s how these rumors get so much traction so quickly.”
A common scam tactic on social media is called ‘like-farming’. That means the scammer is trying to get as many likes/comments/shares as possible; typically by evoking emotion. Then, when the post has gained enough traction to look ‘credible’, scammers will edit the post with links to scam websites.
“This is essentially click-bait; it’s been around for decades,” said Gonzalez. “But now we live in a world with advancements in AI and other digital tools, so that content can sometimes look a little more believable.”
The officer pictured in the fake posts is Christopher Taylor, who served as a deputy for the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office in Florida until his death in 2022 at the age of 23. He was struck and killed in a high-speed drunken driving crash while conducting a routine traffic stop. The woman behind the wheel was sentenced to 29 years in prison.
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