The Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police was not laughing at Saturday’s “SNL” — or at least, not at its “Traffic Stop” sketch, which featured Leslie Jones, Ego Nwodim and Kate McKinnon as some thirsty Charm City cops. In the skit, the ladies pulled over a tipsy Seth Meyers and proceeded to flirt with him instead of administering a field sobriety test.
In an open letter to “Saturday Night Live” creator Lorne Michaels, Lt. Gene S. Ryan called it a “distorted representation” of what his officers do when they pull over a drunk driver. Or ever, really.
“We must take issue with the grossly inapt portrayal of our members during this particular sketch,” he wrote. “As you are most likely aware, the Baltimore Police Department is currently a very beleaguered agency in the throes of massive criticism and disrespect. 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 feel very strongly that the comedy that was attempted in the ‘Traffic Stop’ segment fell short of being humorous, and felt instead, like a sharp jab at a group of people who have dedicated their lives to serving others,” Ryan continued. “Some may think it’s funny, and clearly, you and your cast do as well. We, on the other hand, believe that humor at the expense of our brave membership is not humor at all.”
When reached by TheWrap, a spokeswoman for “Saturday Night Live” declined to comment on the letter. A show insider pointed out to us that Nwodim, who wrote the sketch, is a Baltimore native. She intended the selection of her hometown to be a “shout-out” that was “meant in a heartfelt way,” this person told us.
Readers can watch the “Traffic Stop” sketch via the video above.
See Ryan’s full letter below. High up, he acknowledges that “SNL” is a comedy show, in case you were wondering.
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