Judge left baffled after police officer doesn’t wear trousers for court appearance

The Detroit Police have launched an investigation after one of their officers appeared on a virtual court hearing in boxers.

The officer, named Matthew Jackson, logged onto the Zoom court proceeding without any trousers on.

‘You got some pants on, sir?’ Judge Sean Perkins asked.

Jackson said no, before moving the camera so his boxer briefs weren’t visible. He did, however, wear his uniform shirt for the hearing.

Now, the police department is ‘investigating’ the blunder, and plans to train their officers on proper etiquette in court.

36th District Court Chief Judge William McConico told ABC7: ‘I spoke with Judge Perkins, because I wanted to know, you know, what went through his mind with how he handled the case.

‘He was stunned, obviously. He was shocked. Officer Jackson is a person he’s known.’

‘He wanted to stress to me that Officer Jackson is a very professional police officer, he’s always been very courteous to the citizens, and that’s why it was a little bit stunning,’ he added.

One of the attorneys, TaTaNisha Reed, told ABC7 she was shocked by the sight: ‘I was trying to figure it out.

‘Like, am I seeing what I think I’m seeing? Especially with a police officer. So it was an interesting day to say the least.’

In a statement, Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison said: ‘The Detroit Police Department requires its officers to represent themselves in a dignified and professional manner while attending court proceedings.

‘The involved officer’s actions are not representative of the professionalism of this department and will be appropriately addressed to maintain the public confidence and efficient operation of this department.

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‘Our apologies are hereby extended to the judges and staff of the court, as well as anyone else who may have been in attendance during this incident.’

The police officer’s blunder could have been worse. One man appeared at a pre-trial hearing in Michigan on Zoom – facing a charge of driving with a suspended licence.

But his hopes of defending his case were quickly dashed when it became apparent that Harris had dialled in to the hearing while behind the wheel.

As Judge J Cedric Simpson started the hearing, Harris asked for the judge to delay proceedings slightly, saying: ‘I’m pulling into my doctor’s office actually, so just give me one second, I’m parking right now.’

The video showed Harris clearly sitting in the driver’s seat of a car, wearing a seatbelt and looking around to find somewhere to park.

Judge Simpson appeared stunned, asking if Harris was ‘stationary’ before his lawyer, Natalie Pate, asked for the hearing to be adjourned for up to four weeks.

Judge Simpson said: ‘So maybe I don’t understand something. This is a driver with a licence suspended?’

Harris appeared to want to speak at several intervals, raising his hand and saying ‘um’, before apparently changing his mind and keeping quiet.

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