Law | National | Technology

North Dakota county wants 'Sheriff Kirchmeier' account off Twitter

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Sorry folks but this Twitter account is not real and might be going away if officials in Morton County, North Dakota, get it removed.

UPDATE: As of December 8, 2016, the @KyleKirchmeier account on Twitter is no longer available.

Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier is no stranger to social media but a Twitter account bearing his name is not authentic, officials said.

"The twitter account @KyleKirchmeier is fake," a message posted on the county's official feed on Tuesday read. "We are working to get it taken down."

Most users who read the "KyleKirchmeier" account might quickly figure out it's not real. Even though the real sheriff taunted the #NoDAPL movement for months on Facebook with posts that have since been deleted, the Twitter feed takes on an even more incendiary and outrageous tone.

"To clarify, we do not recognize Sioux Treaty Rights, or their rights to protect their resources. We DO recognize DAPL rights," one recent post read.

Yet some people on Twitter have interacted with the account, which launched its first missive on November 26, as if it were legitimate. "You give law enforcement a bad name," one reply stated. "Resign."

"Just called 4 ur resignation 2 both the commissioners and governor ur are not a law enforcement official. You are disgrace!!" another user wrote.

The real Kirchmeier, who is an elected official, has indeed faced intense criticism for his response to the thousands of people who have traveled to Morton County to resist the Dakota Access Pipeline. He is being sued in federal court by dozens who were hurt by water cannons, tear gas, rubber bullets and other weapons by officers acting under his command.

The harsh tactics prompted a phone call last Friday from Attorney General Loretta Lynch. Although she didn't outright criticize his efforts, she said the Department of Justice was ready to help defuse tensions.

“Let me stress that violence is never the answer and that all of us have a responsibility to find common ground around a peaceful resolution where all voices are heard," Lynch said in a statement. "Our first concern is the safety of everyone in the area – law enforcement officers, residents and protesters alike."

The attention from Washington appears to have worked on some level. A day after the call, Kirchmeier relocated his forces away from the Backwater Bridge, which was the site of a particularly violent clash on November 20-21.

But the barricades at the bridge remain and the thousands of veterans who deployed to Standing Rock this week marched to the site to call for their removal. The blockade severely restricts travel to and from the #NoDAPL encampment but Kirchmeier has refused to remove it despite repeated requests from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and residents.

Officially, Kirchmeier has said he does not have a position on the pipeline. After the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Sunday refused to grant an easement for work to occur on federal land near the camps, he issued a statement reaffirming that stance.

"Our role is to enforce the law and that is what we will continue to do," Kirchmeier said in a statement.

But Kirchmeier's colleagues, all of whom are non-Indian, support the pipeline. Cody Schulz, the chairman of the county commission, has repeatedly called for the resisters to leave.

"It’s past time for the federal government to send the law enforcement and financial resources required to deal with this situation," Schulz said in a statement on Sunday.

Morton County is overwhelmingly non-Indian despite its presence near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, only 4.1 percent of the population is Native American or Alaska Native.

The elected leadership is non-Indian as well. Kirchmeier won his 2014 election with 52 percent of the vote, according to the North Dakota Secretary of State. He serves a four-year term.