oklahoma city– The Oklahoma City Police Department has placed its officers on leave following reports of an April Fools’ Day prank, which sent police cars to pursue a child thrown from a car before the call was revealed to be a hoax.
Oklahoma City Police Capt. Valerie Littlejohn confirmed Monday that an internal investigation was ongoing but did not say how many officers had been placed on administrative leave or provide details on the charges.
“We are aware of a reported stalking involving some of our officers that included serious allegations, which have since been shown to be false,” Littlejohn said in a statement. “We take this situation very seriously and are committed to ensuring a comprehensive review.”
The investigation followed the release of a police radio audio recording from the night of April 1 Oklahoma City TV station KFOR And other stations where a dispatcher says, “The city just reported that the suspect threw a child out of a window.”
“The police officer in pursuit does not have a radio. He only sends a message about his location,” the dispatcher says.
After several officers responded to the report, a dispatcher was heard saying, “It was an April Fool’s joke.”
Another sender says: “Not funny.”
A message left Monday with the president of the Oklahoma City Police Union seeking comment on the incident was not immediately returned.
Oklahoma law makes it a misdemeanor crime to report “intentionally false information that could result in the dispatch of emergency services by any public agency.” The penalty is a fine of up to $500 and an assessment of any costs associated with sending emergency personnel.