'Scott' won’t be walking away scot-free.
Source: WVTM 13 News
In Alabama, police got playful revenge on a group of high school seniors after the teens blanketed the department—and much of the town—with toilet paper in an over-the-top senior prank.
Heflin Police Chief Ross McGlaughn promised the Class of 2026 they’d pay for their overnight toilet-paper takeover of the small Alabama town.
On Sept. 26, 2025, toilet paper blanketed the front of the Heflin Police Department. City of Heflin Police Department /Facebook
Rolls of toilet paper draped the Heflin Police Department, covering the entrance, squad cars, and even the roof.
“It’s just fun,” the student leaders told CBS News on Friday. “Adrenaline rush. Then you don’t get caught and it’s like ‘this is fantastic.'”
Rather than arresting the underage pranksters, McGlaughn put together a special task force for an over-the-top tactical operation in the small city 75 miles west of Atlanta.
“Dear school kids of Cleburne County,” McGlaughn wrote on Facebook. “We think that rolling the police department was a little uncalled for, but as we enter into Halloween season, we don’t want to hear any crying when we load up like we are going to serve a search warrant and go full out tactical ninja style old school rolling at your place.”
McGlaughn warned the teens they’d picked the wrong crew, pointing out that many officers in his department once pulled the same kinds of pranks themselves.
“We know who you are and while you just put the PlayStation controller down for a week, we are children of the 80s and 90s who perfected this craft years ago,” he said.
After the high school seniors’ prank, police cars were wrapped head to toe in toilet paper. City of Heflin Police Department /Facebook
The Heflin Police Department’s main building was draped in rolls of toilet paper, covering the entrance, squad cars, and even the roof. City of Heflin Police Department /Facebook
McGlaughn cleverly used his first warning to throw the kids off about when the payback would come.
“This whole time the class of 26 expected retaliation on Halloween night and I let them believe that. I learned early in my career that in any tactical situation, 3 things must be accomplished for success; speed, surprise, and violence of action,” he wrote on Facebook after the “mission.”
Under the cover of darkness on Oct. 29, the Heflin Police Department, joined by community members and other law enforcement agencies, launched their playful payback.
"Old school rules were put into place. We would park down the road and approach the target on foot," McGlaughn said, describing how his team moved stealthily to avoid setting off alarms or cameras.
“Most importantly, it was every man for themselves. Stragglers get left and have to make their way back on their own. It never fails that rule gets enacted in any rolling endeavor,” he said.
Their prank focused on several students’ homes—with parents’ blessing, of course.
Drone footage showed rolls of toilet paper soaring over houses and draping the trees in white.
Chief Ross McGlaughn briefs his officers before the nighttime strike on the students’ homes. City of Heflin Police Department /Facebook
Toilet paper cascaded from the trees onto the street after the officers’ playful strike. City of Heflin Police Department /Facebook
Three houses were hit by officers moving with "mongoose-like speed and military precision."
“My group was kicking butt like a pack of ninjas! Toilet paper hung from the branch of every tree and bush. I was proud of my team. They had 100 percent, absolutely, lived up to every bit of the hype I had talked them in to,” McGlaughn said.
Overnight weather quickly ruined the creations, while social media gleefully mocked the officers’ efforts.
“By the next morning, the whiteout conditions we created were a soggy mess and just looked sad. We were mocked on social media for what appeared to be a feeble attempt, but what really only a select few know to be the Mona Lisa of rolling. I now know how the 1998 Atlanta Braves felt,” McGlaughn wrote.
The police chief said his main goal was simply to have fun with the community—and he didn’t see any harm in what the kids had done.
“As long as they’re doing this, they’re not getting in trouble doing something else,” McGlaughn told CBS News.
“I haven’t seen any type of drugs or alcohol involved, because I think they’re spending all their money on toilet paper,” he said with a laugh.
Drone footage showed rolls of toilet paper soaring over houses and draping the trees in white. City of Heflin Police Department /Facebook
Under the cover of darkness on Oct. 29, the Heflin Police Department, joined by community members and other law enforcement agencies, launched their playful payback. City of Heflin Police Department /Facebook
The students were thrilled that the police joined in on their antics.
“I just think it’s good clean fun for everyone and it’s been great for the whole town, the police department and everybody,” one of the pupils said
“It brings a sense of community,” another offered.
To help tackle the cleanup, the clever high schoolers started selling "TP insurance" to neighbors and mobilized their own "Toilet Paper Rapid Response Team."
“If you buy their insurance and your yard gets rolled, the youth group will come clean it up for you,” McGlaughn said
