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<p>PITTSTON TWP. &#8212; Police officers took to social media recently to warn residents of a potential threat in playground equipment.</p><p>The Pittston Township Police Department Facebook page re-posted a Facebook photo taken by the police department in Platte, S.D., warning its residents of fish hooks in swing sets.</p><p>Pittston Township Police Sgt. Pete Hockenberry saw the photo on his personal Facebook account and knew he had to share it with township residents on the police account.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s to raise awareness,&#8221; he said of posting the photo.</p><p>Hockenberry noted he doesn&#8217;t believe the fish hooks are a threat in this area, nor are they signs of a gang, but rather just &#8220;juveniles horsing around.&#8221;</p><p>Although the fish hooks are small, he said, the danger they pose is more serious than meets the eye.</p><p>&#8220;That&#8217;s an infant&#8217;s seat,&#8221; Hockenberry said of the swing shown in the photo. &#8220;Their skin is so sensitive. That&#8217;ll just shred their whole back up when you put them in and take them out.&#8221;</p><p>As of Wednesday evening, the post on the Pittston Township Police Department&#8217;s Facebook page had been shared over 8,300 times and had nearly 400 comments from residents in and out of Luzerne County expressing concerns.</p><p>Hockenberry said there were comments on the page from people pointing out it should not have been posted, as it was not from the area.</p><p>&#8220;I posted it for awareness for the community in this area because we also have parks,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It doesn&#8217;t matter if it happens across the state or down the street from your house; it happens anywhere.&#8221;</p><p>Although the fish hooks are of no immediate threat to the area, Hockenberry cautions parents and guardians to check playground equipment before letting their child play on it.</p><p>He said the department recently had someone check both township parks &#8212; Attardo Park and Oriole Park &#8212; for anything similar, but nothing was found.</p><p>Township police Sgt. Ken Santos said police officers will keep their eyes open for anything similar, but he said it&#8217;s up to residents to also check playground equipment.</p><p>&#8220;Even if this does give someone an idea and they put something there or try to put something there, people can be mindful and say &#8216;Hey, I heard about this&#8217; and look at it despite the fact that someone is trying to copy it,&#8221; said Santos. &#8220;Hopefully, they&#8217;ll say, &#8216;I picked up on this because I saw it in the past.&#8217; Again, it&#8217;s just bringing awareness.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">This photo of fish hooks in a child&#8217;s swing at a playground out of state was posted on the Pittston Township Police Department&#8217;s Facebook page earlier this week. The post was shared over 8,000 times and commented on by almost 400 people in and out of Luzerne County. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/web1_TTL100617Hooks-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>This photo of fish hooks in a child&#8217;s swing at a playground out of state was posted on the Pittston Township Police Department&#8217;s Facebook page earlier this week. The post was shared over 8,000 times and commented on by almost 400 people in and out of Luzerne County. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted Photo </photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jimmy Fisher</p><p>jfisher@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jimmy Fisher at 570-704-3972 or on Twitter @SD_JimmyFisher.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Pittston Township police caution about playground equipment with fish hooks