Court hearings tend to be nerve-wracking, but modern technology and the introduction of Zoom hearings have made courtrooms more accommodating. One cop from Detroit, Michigan, however, got a little too comfortable in a trial as he appeared at a Zoom court hearing this week wearing only the top half of his uniform, and forgetting the rest– in front of Judge Sean Perkins nonetheless.
Officer Matthew Jackson, from the Detroit Police Department’s 12th Precinct, is the cop in question, and he attended a virtual hearing in Michigan’s 36th District Court on Monday concerning a case of drag racing and disorderly conduct. While Jackson wore his official department shirt and badge, the camera also revealed that he wasn’t wearing his uniform pants:
As Judge Perkins called on Officer Jackson during the October 27 Zoom hearing recording, it appears the cop forgot to properly angle his camera or select the intended aspect ratio. Hence, the cop’s bottom half was visible, and sadly, he only had underwear on. This left Jude Perkins questioning the officer’s choice of attire, “You got some pants on, officer?” to which the cop responded, “No, sir.”
Attorney TaTaNisha Reed, representing the defendant, later told WXYZ that she had tried to alert the judge to what she was seeing. “I said, ‘Judge, he needs to alter his camera,'” she recalled. “I was trying to figure it out, like, am I seeing what I think I’m seeing?” Luckily, it appears Judge Perkins was used to such courtroom mishaps and managed to retain his composure while the hearing carried on. Officer Jackson quickly corrected his phone’s position to hide his bottom half, as most people in Zoom meetings do.
Detroit Police apologized for the sight
Since clips of the hearing have since gone viral, racking up hundreds of thousands of views across social media platforms, Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison later apologized publicly. The Chief claims Jackson’s actions “are not representative of the professionalism of this department” and confirmed that the matter is being reviewed internally. As for the court trial, the defendant (not the cop) ultimately pleaded guilty and was fined $240.
Meanwhile, people online are unanimously finding the situation quite hilarious, as it’s not every day you see a police officer swearing to the court, right hand raised, while wearing no pants. “Ah dude raised his hand and kept to the truth 😂,” points out one X/Twittter user, while another said, “😂 Zoom hearings: where you can be professional… from the waist up only. Officer Jackson really committed to ‘business casual.”
It’s also worth noting that this isn’t the first time Judge Perkins’ Zoom court hearings went viral, as months earlier, he got into an argument with a mother on trial as she appeared to be making a PB&J sandwich while in the court session. In any case, Officer Jackson was somewhat lucky that he was not the one being tried in court, as he would’ve gotten more than a question from the Judge.
