The Brief: This meme of a police officer running has been used to convey both running away from something in fear as well as running towards another person, as if to attack them.
DEEP DIVE
In this meme, an exaggeratedly-large, animated police officer is seen running across the street, intent on reaching someone or something on the other side. It’s unclear why the the meme was made from a pixelated image.
The subject of the meme is hyper-masculine, swoll police officer, Earl Devereaux from the 2009 film, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. The character is known for taking his job very seriously and constantly showing off his athleticism whenever possible, just as we see in this meme.
The meme has recently become popular on Reddit meme-maker threads, like Dank Memes.
Some variations capitalize on the character’s job as a police officer, showing him determinedly running towards something/someone as if to defend them from danger.
Invest in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs Memes! Their going to get big. from r/MemeEconomy
Danger close from r/dankmemes
While in others, the officer is racing towards a goal, the implication being that first one there takes the W.
The officer’s aggression has also been likened to pesky computer applications that consistently send pushy reminders, like Spotify and Steam.
Every time from r/dankmemes
Alternative versions focus less on the officer and more on instances in which someone might be running.
Aww Shucks from r/dankmemes
SHOTGUN!! from r/dankmemes