A US POLICE department in the state of Wisconsin has found itself at the centre of a social media storm over the Netflix series Making a Murderer.
The Manitowoc Police Department (MPD) in the state has found itself in the firing line of aggrieved Twitter users up in arms over certain facts revealed in the documentary series.
The only problem? Manitowoc Police Department bears no relation to Manitowoc Sheriff’s Department, a key component of the show.
Even more problematic for the MPD is the fact that the similarly titled sheriff’s department isn’t on social media.
Most of the tweets that have been sent to the MPD are essentially spoiler-heavy, so we won’t publish them here. You can get a feel for some of what’s being said by clicking here however. But you have been warned, here be spoilers.
The MPD has tried to defuse the row it finds itself at the centre of by tweeting out simply that it bears no relation to the sheriff’s department.
Its Twitter account has a mere 714 followers and, like most official police accounts, spends most of its air time issuing weather warnings, advising the public re traffic situations and announcing legal infractions.
Before Christmas the department sent a series of tweets instructing people that the events documented in Making a Murderer fall outside its jurisdiction. It doesn’t seem to have made much difference though.
The Manitowoc Sheriff’s Department is responsible for an area outside the city of Manitowoc, with the MPD holding no influence in that area.
Making a Murderer is a ten-part documentary series that was pieced together over the space of ten years.
It first streamed on Netflix on 18 December, 2015 with all ten episodes becoming available on that date. Netflix took the unprecedented step of publishing the first episode on YouTube on the same day to stoke up anticipation for the show.
The show recounts the story of Steven Avery, a man who was imprisoned for sexual assault and attempted murder who was subsequently exonerated, only to be later accused of the murder of Teresa Halbach.
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