‘You got some pants on, officer?’: Judge stunned at officer going pantsless on zoom appearance

A Detroit police officer left a judge speechless when he showed up for a Zoom hearing wearing his uniform top and badge — but no pants.

Officer Matthew Jackson from the Detroit Police Department appeared in the 36th District Court via Zoom on Monday for a reckless driving and public intoxication case, according to a video of the hearing posted to YouTube.

However, when Jackson appeared on camera, he was wearing his official police button-up uniform shirt, badge, and boxers, but no pants.

Judge Sean Perkins took immediate notice of the bizarre fashion choice, stumbling over his words for a moment before asking, “You got some pants on, officer?”

“No, sir,” Jackson then told the judge before moving his phone closer to his body so that only the upper portion of his body was visible.

A lawyer taking part in the hearing then appeared with a bewildered expression on her face.

Despite the awkward moment, the judge continued with the case without further mention of the bizarre incident.

Jackson did not appear on the Zoom call again during the hearing. It was not immediately clear why he was not wearing pants during the call.

In a statement to The Independent, the Detroit Police Department apologized for the officer’s appearance during the hearing.

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

“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 36th District Court adheres to a casual business attire dress code, per the court’s website.

“Prohibited attire includes shorts (cut-offs), skorts, sleeveless shirts (tank tops), hats/caps (except those worn for cultural or religious purposes) and other clothing which is not suitable in a Court or any other professional environment.”