“I’m cool with them targeting sex offenders tho.”

“I mean I’m cool with them targeting sex offenders tho.” That was a comment on the Wayne County (Ohio) Sheriff’s Office Facebook page in response to a post warning the public about a scam targeting the employers of persons required to register as sex offenders.

Hopefully readers of FAC’s forum are familiar with and prepared for the scam call, but what’s equally distasteful is the comment from Eric Tracy (whose own Facebook pages prominently displays assault weapons in his profile photo), that he’s fine with vigilantes and scammers targeting registrants.

Let’s be absolutely clear: this kind of sentiment is not edgy, not harmless, and not “just an opinion.” It is an endorsement of harassment, intimidation, and potential violence against a legally defined group of people. When someone publicly declares they are “cool” with targeting registrants, they are normalizing abuse and implicitly encouraging others to act. And when that sentiment comes from an individual who advertises his fascination with high-powered firearms, it becomes even more frightening to those forced to live under registration. For families already living in constant apprehension, comments like this are not theoretical — they feel like warnings.

This is exactly the culture public registries cultivate. They signal to the public that certain people are acceptable targets. They embolden individuals who already harbor hostility to feel justified in acting on it. And they create an environment where threats, vandalism, harassment, and worse are seen as deserved rather than criminal.

FAC appreciates the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office for issuing a warning about the scam. That was appropriate and necessary. However, the complete lack of response to Mr. Tracy’s comment — or the failure to remove it — sends a deeply troubling message. When a law enforcement agency allows comments endorsing the targeting of registrants to remain on its official page, it risks appearing indifferent to, or even tolerant of, vigilantism. Silence in this context is not neutral. It reads as acquiescence.

Law enforcement agencies have a responsibility not only to enforce the law, but to model it. That includes making clear that harassment, threats, and vigilantism are unacceptable, regardless of who the target is. Registrants are not fair game. Their families are not collateral damage. Their employers are not acceptable pressure points. And communities are not made safer when abuse is normalized.

FAC calls on it’s members to call out the Wayne County (Ohio) Sheriff’s Office for having no response to the post. If they truly care about this issue, then they should reject both the scam and the mindset that cheers them on.