In November 1986, Officer James McLaughlin fired his service revolver at beer kegs while breaking up a teen drinking party, then falsely reported that fireworks had been set off. He received a four-day suspension without pay for this incident. In December 1987, McLaughlin engaged in a verbal altercation with a civilian and was implicated in the erasure of an audio recording of the incident, leading to a letter of reprimand. Despite these incidents, McLaughlin continued his career, becoming known for internet stings targeting child sex predators. In 2021, his name appeared on the Laurie List, a record of officers with credibility issues, but was later removed following a lawsuit and departmental review.