A GTA police force is going all out to show their Star Wars pride this May 4.
The social media frenzy began around 4:40 a.m., with the Hamilton Police Service posting a yoda-themed meme with the hashtag “May the 4th be with you.”
May 4 is commonly known as Star Wars Day due to its similarity to the commonly used phrase in the films “may the force be with you.”
To celebrate and show their appreciation for the franchise, the Hamilton Police Service released a series of memes and videos filmed by two Toronto companies– AM Films and Zoki Films—and posted them on social media.
“Hamilton Police are always looking for new opportunities to engage with our community and chances to humanize our officers to the public, which I find sometimes gets lost behind the uniform,” Const. Indy Bharaj said in an email. “This cool idea came to me and luckily came to fruition.”
“But all and all, this was also a fun chance to entertain Star Wars lovers everywhere.”
Three “mini-features” were released showcasing different Star Wars characters in front of police vehicles.
In one, a stormtrooper is seen mounting a Hamilton police motorcycle as thematic music plays in the background.
Another video features a pilot and the other Boba Fett, the character featured in one of Disney’s most recent spin-off television shows.
Reaction to the campaign has been mixed, with neighbouring police forces and some residents applauding the quirky posts while others wondered how much it cost taxpayers.
The force specified the social media posts were filmed while officers were off the clock.
“There was no cost to make these videos. Everyone, including the officers, volunteered their time on a weekend to have some fun for May 4,” police said.