Zanesville Police: Picture Of Officer Sleeping In Cruiser Is Real

A picture of a Zanesville police officer sleeping behind the wheel of his cruiser is making its way around social media channels.

Zanesville Chief of Police Eric Lambes confirmed that the picture was real and was taken on Thursday.

The picture shows Officer Kyle Brooks asleep behind the wheel of his cruiser, which was parked on Sixth Street, between Main and Marietta streets, at about 5:30 a.m.

It may seem like an unusual spot to catch a little shut eye, but that’s what Brooks did.

While he slept, someone snapped a picture.

Residents in Zanesville told 10TV that the picture made the officer appear “like a Zombie” or a “crash test dummy.”

One resident said it was a waste of tax dollars.

“He shouldn't be snoozing on shift in his patrol car, he should be working, that's what our tax dollars are for,” the man told 10TV.

“If I got caught sleeping, I would get fired,” added another resident.

Lambes said that Brooks would be punished but would not be fired. He said the rookie officer just started on the midnight shift.

“He's a good officer. We don't want to lose him. We want him to learn from this, improve-get better and move on,” said Lambes.

The chief said that it was the officer's first week on a new shift.

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