Police get revenge on high school seniors who covered HQ with toilet paper: ‘We don’t want to hear any crying’
Toilet paper covers the front of the City of Heflin Police Department on Sept. 26, 2025. City of Heflin Police Department /Facebook
Not getting off “Scott” free.
A group of Alabama high school seniors who covered their town — including the local police headquarters — in toilet paper as part of an elaborate prank got a playful dose of payback from the Heflin Police Department.
Heflin Police Chief Ross McGlaughn promised the Class of 2026 a response after students launched their overnight TP attack, draping rolls over the department’s entrance, squad cars, and even the roof.
“It’s just fun,” the student leaders told CBS News. “Adrenaline rush. Then you don’t get caught and it’s like, ‘this is fantastic.’”
Rather than arresting the pranksters, McGlaughn organized a “special task force” for a tactical counter-prank operation in the small city, 75 miles west of Atlanta, Georgia.
“Dear school kids of Cleburne County,” McGlaughn wrote on Facebook, “we think rolling the police department was a little uncalled for. But as we enter Halloween season, don’t cry when we show up like we’re serving a search warrant — full tactical ninja style — at your place.”
He also reminded the students that the department’s officers had decades of prank experience themselves.
“We know who you are, and while you put down the PlayStation controller for a week, we are children of the 80s and 90s who perfected this craft years ago,” McGlaughn said. Using clever misdirection, he let the seniors think retaliation would happen on Halloween night.
“This whole time, the Class of 2026 expected retaliation on Halloween night, and I let them believe that. In any tactical situation, three things must be accomplished for success: speed, surprise, and violence of action,” he wrote afterward.
On the night of October 29, the Heflin Police Department, joined by community volunteers and other agencies, launched their revenge operation under cover of darkness.
“Old school rules were in place. We parked down the road and approached the target on foot,” McGlaughn said, describing the stealthy approach to avoid alarms and cameras. “Most importantly, it was every man for themselves. Stragglers get left behind — that rule never fails in any rolling endeavor.”
The officers, with parental permission, hit the homes of several students. Drone footage captured toilet paper unfurling across trees and houses with “mongoose-like speed and military precision,” McGlaughn said.
“My team was kicking butt like a pack of ninjas! Toilet paper hung from every tree and bush. I was proud — they lived up to every bit of the hype,” he said.
Overnight rain and wind quickly turned the masterpiece into a soggy mess, sparking social media jokes about the attempt.
“By morning, our whiteout conditions looked sad and soggy. People mocked it, but only a few knew it was really the Mona Lisa of rolling. I now understand how the 1998 Atlanta Braves felt,” McGlaughn joked.
He emphasized that the main goal was fun and community engagement.
“As long as they’re doing this, they’re not getting in trouble doing something else,” McGlaughn said. “I haven’t seen any drugs or alcohol involved — I think they’re spending all their money on toilet paper.”
The students were thrilled the police got involved.
“It’s good, clean fun for everyone,” one student said. “It brings a sense of community,” added another.
To help with cleanup, the high schoolers even started selling “TP insurance” to residents. The “Toilet Paper Rapid Response Team” will roll in to clean yards if they get targeted.
“If you buy their insurance and your yard gets rolled, the youth group will come clean it up for you,” McGlaughn said.
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