Criminal investigations and sting operations often have interesting code names the public only learns about after the fact, for obvious reasons. But one operation in the Scranton, Pennsylvania area had a very familiar name for fans of NBC comedies.
As CNN detailed, the hit sitcom The Office seems to have been the naming inspiration for a sex sting operation based out of the hometown of the fictional show. As officials divulged this week, “Operation Dunder Mifflin” was an operation that was meant to verify the addresses of registered sex offenders living in the Scranton area.
Between August 2 to September 17, US Marshals coordinated with the Scranton Police Department to verify the home addresses of 219 convicted and registered sex offenders living in the area, US Marshals said in a news release on Monday.
Of the offenders, 13 were found to be in violation of sex offender registration laws, nine were arrested and four are still being sought for violations, the release said.
The details of the operation and the sex crimes involved aren’t exactly funny, but it’s worth noting the operation’s name was very clearly inspired by The Office. This comes on the heels of “Operation Varsity Blues,” the cheating scandal over college admissions that ensnared a number of high-profile celebrities. That scandal, of course, was much less serious in the grand scheme of things. But it’s certainly interesting to see The Office continue to impact the real-world place it was said to chronicle.
[via CNN]
