As the summer winds down and kids return to school, you can feel the change of seasons — the transition from shorts to pants, the aroma of pumpkin spice and apple cider filling the air at fall festivals … and police departments across the country responding to ridiculous pranks inspired by Pennywise the clown.
That’s right — it’s officially clown season!
A week ago Pennsylvania State Police issued a bulletin about creepy clowns, advising people to report suspicious activity by calling a toll-free terrorism line.
Now, amazingly enough, Pennsylvania is the first state to experience a creepy clown event so far this clown season.
Via CBS News:
Several red balloons popped up overnight in a small Pennsylvania borough, causing a mix of amusement and concern for residents and horror film enthusiasts alike.
The Lititz Borough Police Department said officers “want the local prankster to know that we were completely terrified as we removed these balloons” tied to sewer grates across town — a practice similarly seen in the movie “It,” which opens in theaters on Friday.
The horror movie, which is adapted from a Stephen King novel, portrays an evil demon who takes on the guise of a killer clown named Pennywise who stalks children from within sewers, luring them with red balloons.
“I don’t think we have an accurate balloon count, but it’s definitely above 20,” Sgt. Stephen Detz with the Lititz Borough Police Department told CBS News. “They pretty much hit the entire town and the area around the town.”
Detz says there are some “It” fans within the department, so when officers saw the balloons they immediately caught the reference.
Police in Lawrence, Kansas, are taking proactive measures to contain the clown menace during the peak season:
WE DID THE CLOWN THING LAST YEAR WE AREN'T DOING THIS AGAIN https://t.co/XZVLHFXIi2
— Lawrence Police (@LawrenceKS_PD) September 6, 2017
Fight the clowns. Apply today. https://t.co/09uhftqj1Q
— Lawrence Police (@LawrenceKS_PD) September 6, 2017
— Lawrence Police (@LawrenceKS_PD) September 6, 2017
Kudos to our men and women in blue. We sleep peacefully in our beds at night because these brave heroes stand ready to do violence on our behalf.
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