Cop Fired for Joining Metal Band on Stage

The Orlando Sentinel reports that Florida police officer Andrew Ricks has been fired for joining death metal band Vital Remains on stage while on duty and in uniform.

The incident was caught on video and uploaded to YouTube. It was then brought to the attention of Sanford, Fla., Police Department chief Cecil B. Smith.

In a statement, Smith said of Ricks' firing, "An incident of this nature erodes the thin fibers of trust which already exist between the community and the police and it will not tolerated within the Sanford Police Department."

"It is important that the agency must maintain and improve upon the trust built within the community. Based on the information received, it is imperative that we have no misinterpretations of the immediate actions taken by the police department in situations of this nature and that we will continue to provide professional service to all citizens of Sanford."

But, really, the video itself is pretty innocuous. It simply shows the police officer briefly on stage with the band as they introduce their song, "Dechristianize"  (a song about the crucifixion of Jesus). Ricks throws up some devil horns and helps the vocalist get the song started by shouting, "Let the killing begin!"

He then smiles, waves to the crowd and leaves the stage to cheering from the audience.

In all, it appears to be a good-natured interaction by the officer, the band and the rockers at the club.

That being said, the Sanford Police Department is incredibly sensitive about how its officers are perceived in the community.

Their handling of the Trayvon Martin shooting highlighted a number of missteps by the department. Sanford police were widely characterized as "bungling and biased," according to The New York Times.