• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Advertise
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Subscribe
American Police Beat

American Police Beat Magazine

Law Enforcement Publication

  • Home
  • Leadership
    • Understanding the boundaries of professional relationships with the...
      Why you should lead from 30,000 feet
      Public perception and trust
      When performance reviews are a waste of time
      Taking a page from Toyota’s playbook
  • Topics
    • Leadership
      • Understanding the boundaries of professional relationships with the...
        Why you should lead from 30,000 feet
        Public perception and trust
        When performance reviews are a waste of time
        Taking a page from Toyota’s playbook
    • Editor’s Picks
      • Let’s get moving!
        Heroes of the World Trade Center
        The Promise Gap
        Corruption, collusion and impunity
        Liability challenges in contemporary policing
    • On the Job
      • Frankpledge to forensics: A brief history of law enforcement
        Villains and heroes in the Big Apple
        Right place, right time — again
        Some good news on crime
        Mom-to-be named Cop of the Year
    • Labor
      • The Promise Gap
        Cut the cops, save a dollar?
        Labor release under fire
        Who’s watching the watchmen?
        Crime and punishment (or lack thereof) in Seattle
    • Tech
      • New Mexico license plate readers save lives, lead to “precise...
        A modern field guide to understanding research in policing
        Gear that moves with you
        A new breed of cop car
        The future of patrol is here
    • Training
      • Pushback as a training signal
        Let’s get moving!
        The five minutes before the ambulance
        Navigating danger
        Critical thinking in police training
    • Policy
      • Corruption, collusion and impunity
        E-bikes spark public safety concerns
        Try racing without wheels
        Law enforcement accreditation: Why it matters
        Liability challenges in contemporary policing
    • Health/Wellness
      • Addressing stress, vicarious trauma and burnout
        Nervous system regulation
        The nature of the job
        Promoting organizational wellness
        Telling cops to get more sleep isn’t working
    • Community
      • Improving autism awareness
        Shop with a Cop
        Community engagement: What is it moving forward?
        Contradictory crossroads
        Back-to-school season brings out police support nationwide
    • Offbeat
      • An unexpected burglar
        Police humor only a cop would understand
        Not eggzactly a perfect heist
        Pizza … with a side of alligator?
        Wisconsin man charged with impersonating Border Patrol agent twice in...
    • We Remember
      • Heroes of the World Trade Center
        Forty heroes: United Airlines Flight 93
        The Pentagon
        A nation propelled to war, lives changed forever
        A Christmas loss
    • HOT Mail
      • The War on Cops Continues Unabated
  • On the Job
    • Frankpledge to forensics: A brief history of law enforcement
      Villains and heroes in the Big Apple
      Right place, right time — again
      Some good news on crime
      Mom-to-be named Cop of the Year
  • Labor
    • The Promise Gap
      Cut the cops, save a dollar?
      Labor release under fire
      Who’s watching the watchmen?
      Crime and punishment (or lack thereof) in Seattle
  • Tech
    • New Mexico license plate readers save lives, lead to “precise...
      A modern field guide to understanding research in policing
      Gear that moves with you
      A new breed of cop car
      The future of patrol is here
  • Training
    • Pushback as a training signal
      Let’s get moving!
      The five minutes before the ambulance
      Navigating danger
      Critical thinking in police training
  • Policy
    • Corruption, collusion and impunity
      E-bikes spark public safety concerns
      Try racing without wheels
      Law enforcement accreditation: Why it matters
      Liability challenges in contemporary policing
  • Health/Wellness
    • Addressing stress, vicarious trauma and burnout
      Nervous system regulation
      The nature of the job
      Promoting organizational wellness
      Telling cops to get more sleep isn’t working
  • Community
    • Improving autism awareness
      Shop with a Cop
      Community engagement: What is it moving forward?
      Contradictory crossroads
      Back-to-school season brings out police support nationwide
  • Offbeat
    • An unexpected burglar
      Police humor only a cop would understand
      Not eggzactly a perfect heist
      Pizza … with a side of alligator?
      Wisconsin man charged with impersonating Border Patrol agent twice in...
  • We Remember
    • Heroes of the World Trade Center
      Forty heroes: United Airlines Flight 93
      The Pentagon
      A nation propelled to war, lives changed forever
      A Christmas loss
  • HOT Mail
    • The War on Cops Continues Unabated
  • About
  • The Magazine
  • Events
  • Partners
  • Products
  • Contact
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
Search

Offbeat

Escaped kangaroo hops into Florida apartment complex

Prompting unusual emergency response

APB Team Published February 25, 2024 @ 3:00 pm PST

Hillsborough County S.O.
Hillsborough County S.O.

Police in Tampa, Florida, recently responded to a strange 9-1-1 call from residents of an apartment complex after they spotted a presumably escaped kangaroo hopping around on the premises.

A kangaroo, a creature more commonly associated with the vast Australian outback, was captured on aerial night vision footage navigating its way around a pool area in the early hours of February 8.

The encounter led one shocked resident to dial 9-1-1 to report the presence of the marsupial.

The audio of the call was released by the authorities, showcasing the comical exchange between the caller and the dispatcher.

“9-1-1, do you need police, fire or medical?” inquired the dispatcher, to which the caller responded: “I guess police, because there’s a kangaroo in my apartment complex.”

Describing the situation, the dispatcher can be heard updating other emergency responders, stating: “It’s kind of a large kangaroo — we’ve got it closed into the pool gated area.”

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office immediately responded to the call, deploying deputies to the scene to address the unexpected visitor.

Utilizing their expertise, law enforcement personnel were successful in trapping the kangaroo within the confines of the apartment complex’s pool area.

In a statement shared on Facebook, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office detailed the resolution of the peculiar incident, revealing that their agriculture unit played a pivotal role in reuniting the kangaroo with its rightful owner.

The authorities confirmed that the kangaroo’s ownership was duly registered and verified, ensuring its lawful presence in the area.

While the circumstances surrounding the kangaroo’s unexpected appearance remain unclear, it was noted that keeping kangaroos as pets is permitted in Florida with the appropriate permits.

Reportedly named “Hopper,” the kangaroo was safely returned to its owner’s custody following the incident.

Commenting on the incident, a Facebook user humorously remarked: “Great shots of the roo … Glad it didn’t try to resist arrest by boxing its way out.”

Kangaroos, renowned for their distinctive hopping gait and native to the Australian continent, can reach heights of almost six feet and weigh nearly 200 pounds.

It turns out kangaroos are one of the more likely pets to make escapes, presumably due to their jumping abilities.

Police in Texas were called to make a similar kangaroo arrest a few years ago.

Categories: Offbeat Tags: Florida, 911 call, pool, Tampa, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, escaped Kangaroo, wildlife encounter, hopper, marsupial, animal capture

Primary Sidebar

Recent Articles

  • Frankpledge to forensics: A brief history of law enforcement
  • Pushback as a training signal
  • Let’s get moving!
  • Heroes of the World Trade Center
  • The Promise Gap
  • Corruption, collusion and impunity
  • The five minutes before the ambulance
  • New Mexico license plate readers save lives, lead to “precise policing”
  • Addressing stress, vicarious trauma and burnout
  • Understanding the boundaries of professional relationships with the boss

Footer

Our Mission
To serve as a trusted voice of the nation’s law enforcement community, providing informative, entertaining and inspiring content on interesting and engaging topics affecting peace officers today.

Contact us: info@apbweb.com | (800) 234-0056.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Categories

  • Editor’s Picks
  • On the Job
  • Labor
  • Tech
  • Training
  • Policy
  • Health/Wellness
  • Community
  • Offbeat
  • We Remember
  • Jobs and Careers
  • Events

Editor’s Picks

Let’s get moving!

Let’s get moving!

April 27, 2026

Heroes of the World Trade Center

Heroes of the World Trade Center

April 24, 2026

The Promise Gap

The Promise Gap

April 22, 2026

Corruption, collusion and impunity

Corruption, collusion and impunity

April 21, 2026

Policies | Consent Preferences | Copyright © 2026 APB Media, LLC | Website design, development and maintenance by 911MEDIA

Open

Subscribe

Close

Receive the latest news and updates from American Police Beat directly to your inbox!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.