If you thought things were getting dire, imagine hearing the siren from The Purge at the start of a city-mandated curfew last week. That's what befell the poor residents of Crowley, Louisiana, when the local police department accidentally used the same siren from the 2013 horror film to signal the start of a new curfew that has been put in place to help flatten the curve.
Crowley cops really went around town playing the purge siren to announce the curfew 😩😩😩😩 pic.twitter.com/dSY88mkPRq
— Pat Hundley (@patrickhundley_) April 3, 2020
Citizens immediately complained about the similarity of the sirens, which in the film is used to signal the start of a 12-hour period in which all crimes, including murder, are allowed.
Crowley Chief Jimmy Broussard told KATC he was not familiar with the movie The Purge, and promised to change the sound effect moving forward.
A follow-up statement was released by Acadia Parish Sheriff K.P. Gibson stating: “Last night a ”Purge Siren” was utilized by the Crowley Police Department as part of their starting curfew. We have received numerous complaints with the belief that our agency was involved in this process. We were not involved in the use of the “Purge Siren” and will not utilize any type of siren for this purpose."
The curfew was put in place at the beginning of the month because Crowley is located in Acadia Parish, Louisiana, which received the worst rating for the rapid spread of the virus. Citizens are prohibited from leaving their homes between 9pm and 6am and people traveling to or from work must have documentation from their employer. Police are also giving citations to anyone caught violating the curfew.
Though, we have a feeling the citizens of Crowley probably won't be going out for a while.