Baltimore FOP Send Letter to Producer Over Officers' Portrayal in Saturday Night Live Sketch

The president of the Baltimore Police union called a recent Saturday Night Live sketch portraying city officers a “grossly inapt portrayal,” in a letter addressed to the show’s executive producer.

“As you are most likely aware, the Baltimore Police department is currently a very beleaguered agency in the throes of massive amounts of criticism and disrespect,” Lt. Gene Ryan, the president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3, wrote in a letter to SNL’s Lorne Michaels on Wednesday. “Many of our members, especially our younger ones, are struggling with their choice of career and we are losing good and credible members daily. It is a difficult time in Baltimore and to portray our brave, hard-working members with such an inappropriate manner is very unfortunate.”

We have sent the following letter to Mr. Lorne Michaels, producer of Saturday Night Live, on behalf of our members. pic.twitter.com/sceWejrLJI

— Baltimore City FOP (@FOP3) October 17, 2018

Ryan’s letter was in response to a sketch “Traffic Stop” that aired last weekend and featured Baltimore native Ego Nwodim and Leslie Jones as police officers stopping and sexually harassing Seth Meyers, the Baltimore Sun reports.

The Baltimore patches and badges worn by the actresses are not referenced during the sketch.

Ryan said the show went too far using the patches that his officers wear every day with pride, by officers “who run to the sound of gunfire” to protect the city, and some officers have lost their lives while wearing them. The skit, he said, wasn’t humorous, but “a sharp jab at a group of people who have dedicated their lives to serving others.”