Lighten Up, Francis...to a point.

Don't let a Challenge Coin distract you from Wes Moore putting a politician with a history of bad decisions in charge of the State’s biggest police force.

Official word from the Maryland State Police is that they have absolutely no sense of humor. Well, that’s mostly what they said.

In the wake of the appointment of Maryland State Senator Michael Jackson as the new State Police Superintendent, retired and current troopers decided to have a little fun:

Doctored images circulated on social media and shared with The Baltimore Sun showed the pop singer Michael Jackson wearing a trooper uniform. Later, troopers circulated a link to buy a challenge coin — a small token collected and traded by some members of law enforcement — containing an AI-generated image of the King of Pop embracing Moore, emblazoned with a label referring to Jackson as “St. Michael” and calling him “The MSP Savior.”

A state police spokesperson said the coin was “neither approved or condoned” by the agency and said that such “actions are disrespectful and undermine the values of the [d]epartment.” Spokesperson Elena Russo also urged the media to “refrain from amplifying such inappropriate content.”

Give me a break, man. In the world we live in, if retired and current State Troopers want to have a little fun with the fact that the new Superintendent shares a name with a famous pop star, what is the harm in that? Seriously?

Besides, if you dig deep into Superintendent Jackson’s record, there is plenty to ACTUALLY criticize. Especially if you like dogs and good policing. Becuase as you will see, Wes Moore has put a politician with a history of bad decisions in charge of the State’s biggest police force.