The City of Columbia, S.C. police department (CPD) is a joke, people … but if you live in South Carolina’s capital city, you knew that already.

Here’s how it works: If you’re a violent criminal or a gang member, you’re pretty much free to rape and plunder at will. But if you’re a college kid trying to enjoy a beer on the weekend … they will hunt you down like the dog you are.

How come? Easy: There’s a lot of money to be made in busting underage drinkers (especially in a college town like Columbia) but not so much to be made in actually fighting crime. Of course that’s why we give law enforcement tens of millions of dollars in tax money every year, but whatever. We digress.

Anyway …

The CPD’s interim police chief Ruben Santiago took to Facebook this week to brag about seizing $40,000 worth of marijuana from the apartment of a Columbia, S.C. man – another glaring example of piss poor public safety prioritization.

Santiago’s social media chest pumping prompted one poster, Brian Whitmer, to respond with what pretty much everyone was thinking.

“Maybe u should arrest the people shooting people in 5 points instead of worrying about a stoner that’s not bothering anyone. It’ll be legal here one day anyway,” Whitmer wrote.

That’s a legitimate criticism right? Right …

Of course … but the interim chief was not amused.

“We have arrested all the violent offenders in Five (P)oints,” Santiago responded. “Thank you for sharing your views and giving us reasonable suspicion to believe you might be a criminal, we will work on finding you.”

Wait … what???

Santiago quickly deleted his comment (and Whitmer’s original remark), but not before the exchange had been screen-capped.

Take a look …

(Click to enlarge)

Pic: Facebook

Of course shortly thereafter Santiago doubled down on his ridiculous statement, writing in a subsequent post “I put everyone on notice that if you advocate for the use of illegal substances in the City of Columbia then it’s reasonable to believe that you MIGHT also be involved in that particular activity.”

Really?

That’s about the most ridiculous logic we’ve ever heard …

This website’s founding editor hasn’t touched alcohol or drugs in more than seven years … yet FITS is the Palmetto State’s foremost media advocate for the de-criminalization of marijuana and other drugs (and the foremost critic of this nation’s colossally failed “war” against these substances).

Does that mean Santiago has “reasonable” suspicion to come after us, too?

What a joke …

Ruben Santiago needs to spend more time fighting real crime and less time threatening people for expressing their views.