When the world went into lockdown in March 2020 due to a global pandemic, things changed. Some of us couldn’t leave our homes, but life had to keep moving. There was still school to figure out, business to attend to, and TikTok dances to learn. It’s crazy to think it’s been almost six years since the world shut down, because things are mostly back to the way they were before.
One thing that hasn’t changed, however, is that plenty of people are still working remotely. Video conferencing makes it easy to conduct business on the go, but sometimes we get a little too comfortable in our home offices and forget where we are.
Working from home can be both a blessing and a curse. Nothing beats the flexibility and comfort of your own home. As long as you don’t have to see anybody, you can work in your bathrobe with a sheet mask on. If you do your job well, no one cares what you look like. That is, of course, unless you’re a police officer making a court appearance and you forget to put on pants. Matthew Jackson with the Detroit Police Department now knows this only too well.
According to The Independent, Jackson appeared in the 36th District Court via Zoom for a reckless driving and public intoxication case. In a YouTube video, Jackson looked great up top in his official police uniform shirt and badge. but the bottom half was a bit more revealing.
Judge Sean Perkins did a double-take when Jackson appeared on the screen.
“You got some pants on, officer?” Perkins asked Jackson. The officer sheepishly moved his camera to his face and responded, “No, sir.”
Even though the judge and attorney both seemed confused, they proceeded without mentioning the pants again.
In a statement shared with The Independent, the Detroit Police Department made no excuses for Jackson’s wardrobe.
“The Detroit Police Department requires its officers to represent themselves in a dignified and professional manner while attending court proceedings,” Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison shared in the statement.
“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,” Bettison added.
“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 chief’s statement ended.
We’re not sure if Jackson thought he had pants on or thought his camera was on his face and no one would know. We’re employing wishful thinking and going with the latter. Because as we sit here typing, no one knows if we have on pants, a bra, or pimple patches all over our faces. And that’s just the way we like it.
