Sleepy Cop in Facebook Video Suspended for Unauthorized Nap

An on-duty Chicago police officer caught napping on video in his patrol car has been suspended for five days without pay, CBS 2 Chicago reported.

The video, posted to Facebook on May 15, shows an officer sleeping in the front seat of a CPD SUV at the corner of 63rd Street and South Campbell Avenue on Chicago’s South Side. The man who recorded the video, identified as Julian Collins on his Facebook page, said he shot the video of the sleepy crimefighter because “I had to get my point across.” In his narration, Collins mentioned a shooting that recently took place on the block.

The video went viral and was viewed over 700,000 times before it was removed. According to CBS 2 Chicago, the police officer turned himself in to his supervisors after the story broke earlier this week.

“This incident is unacceptable and not in keeping with the high expectations placed on our officers by this department and the residents of Chicago,” said a spokesman for the Chicago Police Department. Police officers get two breaks and lunch during their shifts, but are not allowed to sleep in their vehicles.

The video provoked a great deal of conversation on social media, with some people saying the officer should be cut some slack because maybe he had worked double shifts and others saying he should be fired.

A police union official said the officer won’t appeal the suspension.