La Crosse P.D. responds to Facebook posts concerned about trafficking encounters

People in the La Crosse area are giving everyone a scare on social media.

Posts about men following women at bars or people being drugged and kidnapped are being shared hundreds of times. It’s created a bit of a firestorm for the La Crosse Police Department.

Lieutenant Averie Schott says they have no reports of that type of activity.

“We’ve had a few incidents that have been reported as suspicious activity,” Schott said. “We haven’t identified anything criminally. 

“No reports of anyone being abducted or attempts to be abducted, nor have there been any indictionas the complaints that are associated with the sex trafficking.”

To find an example of such a post, just search on Facebook: “lax and winona friends” or “winona/lacrosse friends.”

Downtown La Crosse recently has seen a brawl and a shooting. But, as for the Facebook posts of people being followed or thinking they were about to become trafficked, those do not appear to be credible.

If, however, you do find yourself in a dangerous situation or see suspicious behavior, call the police, rather than going to social media.

“Sometimes people repost or they retweet things and it’s not necessarily always accurate because we don’t know where that source originated from,” Schott said.

When you go out, Schott says, “Stay in the public areas. Travel in numbers if that’s possible.

“If you’re driving and you feel like you’re being followed, continue to drive and give the police a call and find a public area.”

Schott says the police department takes all calls and reports very seriously.