Wii-playing police receive slap on the wrist, strict talking to
by Ben Gilbert 
{ Nov 12th 2009 at 3:00AM } 
Instead, the Lakeland Ledger reports that the offending officers will suffer such retribution as ... a few hours of retraining? The names of the officers are even being withheld due to their "undercover" status at the time. Lakeland sheriff chief of staff Gary Hester goes as far as to say, "We are learning from our mistakes ... I think we handled [the investigation] properly." He then hurriedly rushed back to a game of Street Fighter IV in progress against a competing police department.
... Okay, we made up that last part.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Anti-Villian @ Nov 12th 2009 3:11AM
Be happy they had nothing better to do.
NoAndThen @ Nov 12th 2009 9:35AM
You're right, they busted that one drug dealer and everyone else just packed up and went home, crime dropped to 0%. Amazing. Yes, they had NOTHING ELSE to do.
Dolt. These guys should have gotten a drop in rank for such ridiculous oversight- or at the very least made them pay back the thousands of dollars it cost in overtime/undercover/endangerment pay that we tossed to them. Meanwhile the roads could use paving...
Sixcolors @ Nov 18th 2009 4:13PM
It's Lakeland. I really doubt they had much to do in the first place.
B3astofthe3ast @ Nov 12th 2009 3:13AM
They waste our tax money playing video games and all they get is a slap on the wrist? Boooo!
LegendaryRedass @ Nov 12th 2009 10:05AM
It's called cronyism, it's rampant wherever taxpayer money is involved. Get used to it or do something about it on election day.
fohf @ Nov 12th 2009 2:03PM
you should probably fire yourself cause you're wasting someone's money while surfing this site.
hypocrite.
kevin @ Nov 12th 2009 3:22AM
i get a ticket for not wearing my seat belt , but they get retraining.can you imagine if they had been dirty cops, they just get a slap on the wrist. how bad is our system of governing
giantenemycrab @ Nov 12th 2009 3:23AM
I can foresee a highly intellectual debate coming from this comment section.
... Just kidding.
FUCK THA POLICE!
OBAMAS A MUSLIN!
Anti-Villian @ Nov 12th 2009 3:44AM
Is there something wrong with muslims?
t_m @ Nov 12th 2009 4:01AM
Obama is a Finely Woven Cotton Fabric? :-o
Kevin949 @ Nov 12th 2009 11:17AM
Nothing wrong with muslims.
But those damn muslins? You can't trust those guys. Always stealin yer spice and such.
Plastic Rat @ Nov 12th 2009 10:38PM
I personally can't stand Muslin. Gives me a rash.
mortegro545 @ Nov 12th 2009 3:52AM
Hopefully all of them were wearing their safety wrist straps..
bigphil2003 @ Nov 12th 2009 3:59AM
It's very easy to condemn them when you play video games for a living.
Mr Numeros @ Nov 13th 2009 1:11AM
That's true. I once got caught serving and protecting my local community when I was supposed to be playing Halo 3.
I TOTALLY got reprimanded. I was sent home and spent the rest of the day playing GTAIV.
t_m @ Nov 12th 2009 4:03AM
I love the way the general public spends all their working time surfing the internet, trying to avoid doing any work, trying to claim the maximum amount of expenses and tax exemptions.... but when someone else does it it's all shock and outrage.
Maybe i should do some work instead of posting on joystiq... someone might be filming me with a hidden camera!
Espiownage @ Nov 12th 2009 4:06AM
that a Madworld dartboard?
Mr. Fister @ Nov 12th 2009 10:03AM
If it is, I'd like to know where that drug-dealer got it.
That Guy @ Nov 12th 2009 4:28AM
Slap on the rist is all they deserve. Seriously, focus on the wankjob cops out there who spend all day power tripping, some guys who play Wii and still catch the crooks are okay in my book.
Owl @ Nov 12th 2009 5:19AM
I dont care what the say, or what they do. To hell with cops. Please, no more mention of them after this story shrivels up and dies.
Brdystyls @ Nov 12th 2009 9:27AM
I second that statement. F*ck the cops.
Kevin949 @ Nov 12th 2009 11:19AM
Ya! Fuck those guys you call when your house gets robbed, or your car is wrecked, or you or your family gets mugged (or disrespected). Stupid jerks trying to help the public by keeping it safe. Pshaw!
redjack @ Nov 12th 2009 12:12PM
Clearly you've never dealt with the police.
In my own area we're having a rash of police drunk driving and hitting people. And the most they get is a slap on the wrist even when they killed the other person. One even did a hit-and-run on a pregnant woman. His excuse was that he was rushing to the hospital to get help after it happened.
Or in my home town the chief of police owns a bar. When a new, competing, bar opened in town he sent multiple officers to that bar every night to harass everyone who went there and tried to forcibly shut it down multiple times. Can't have competition.
I think cops get hardened and jaded pretty quick on the job and always act like everyone is guilty til proven innocent. Unless its one of their own. Then they can do no wrong and are above the law.
xbox420king @ Nov 12th 2009 6:31PM
Fuck Cops! end of story....
Mr Lee @ Nov 12th 2009 7:28AM
At least it keeps them off the streets abusing people with tasers.
Brdystyls @ Nov 12th 2009 9:35AM
Yeah, like the cop that tazed the 12 year old for no reason. All caught on tape. Stupid power hungry cops. Just proves to me more that the people in power should get more than a slap on the wrist for the same things we get slapped on the wrist for. If it was anyone else they would have gotten trespassing and various other crimes on top of that. Cops, judges, presidents, etc (anyone with even the smallest power) should get the worst punishment, no exceptions, for their crimes/ misdoings. By showing us they get off Scott Free for this it just going to make someone else do it and expect to get the same slap on the wrist. For example, if a cop abuses his/her power, he no longer gets to be a cop and possibly jail time. Regardless of what he or she did. Abuse is abuse and if it isn't stopped from the beginning it will just continue. They didn't stop when they got caught they just learned to be better at not getting caught. No more cop posts!!!! PLEASE!!!!! My blood pressure is going up.
Lurkero @ Nov 12th 2009 8:45AM
There are cops that do way worse things. For the effort that is required of police they are certainly not paid accordingly, but at the same time there are a lot of lackadaisical officers. It's a complicated issue.
They certainly should not have been playing Wii however. Shoulda just took out their iPhones, DS's and PSPs
Cena @ Nov 12th 2009 10:42AM
*insert anti-cop comment here, followed by a "it's ok as long as they're not being corrupt" statement here, and then a "but they shouldn't be doing something like this" inference here*
hey guys am I cool yet
LuiginDaisy @ Nov 12th 2009 10:46AM
I read the title as a STRAP on the wrist, guessing they broke a TV.
Donald @ Nov 12th 2009 10:51AM
Nice to see the "Florida" tag migrate over from Fark.
Petebot330 @ Nov 12th 2009 11:08AM
If they had been playing an FPS, they could have claimed it WAS training...
Nick @ Nov 12th 2009 3:23PM
A slap on the wrist is all police ever get. It doesn't matter if a cop rapes someone, beats someone violently or plants evidence, the fraternity of police will protect their own, and the worst any cop'll ever get for doing the outrageous and terrible abuses they do is a paid vacation.
PrinceWitherdick @ Nov 12th 2009 12:33PM
Reno 911 anyone?
treizeknight @ Nov 12th 2009 12:58PM
Oh balls, if you were in the same position, you'd do it. (Although it is a false dichotomy since you own the gaming system, I doubt many of the officers do.)
Owl @ Nov 12th 2009 2:18PM
I have needed the cops before, and when we called them, they never showed. Apparently a cracked out man with a knife breaking our windows getting ready to kill us wasn't a good enough reason for them to go. What about that other time an abusive step father started beating us? I was 9 years old and called the cops, guess what? The Los Angeles Police Dept was too busy to send anyone also! So yes, fuck the police, for harassing us, and not helping out for shit when we really need them to do their jobs we pay them for.
Owl @ Nov 12th 2009 2:39PM
Oh and if youre a journalist and plan on coming to Los Angeles, be prepared, these cops got away scott free on account of "lack of evidence"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivn8PrZlAXo
hdcase @ Nov 12th 2009 3:44PM
Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
Riggy469 @ Nov 12th 2009 5:14PM
F#@$ all the cop haters here. Seriously. You guys need some therapy, or a hug. Maybe both.
kenny goo @ Nov 12th 2009 11:07PM
Your ignorance offends me. Good job.
Brdystyls @ Nov 13th 2009 10:54AM
@Riggy469
In the words of Eminem,
"I found you offensive for finding me offensive"
We are all entitled to our opinion. That said F#@$ all the cop LOVERS/ Familiars here. Seriously. You guys need some therapy, a swift kick in the nuts, and or get plowed in the rear with a cops baton before you realize they all have too much power and no rules are enforced on them.
Deprincer @ Nov 12th 2009 10:06PM
I'd rather cops play wii than give me a ticket
kenny goo @ Nov 12th 2009 11:02PM
And people wonder why cops are so hated by such a large group of people....
Well at least they weren't killing innocent people, arresting innocent people, planting evidence on innocent people, violating the rights of innocent people, or doing anything else that would characterize your typical crooked cop... Do I smell progress?
Brdystyls @ Nov 13th 2009 10:55AM
Opposite of PROGRESS is?
CONGRESS
RIP George Carlin
kenny goo @ Nov 14th 2009 6:28PM
Indeed.
*Goes and watches the seven words you can never say on television*