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Lakewood police said Det. Thomas McLaughlin was given a verbal warning and put through retraining.

(Patrick Cooley/NEOMG)

LAKEWOOD, Ohio -- A Lakewood officer was disciplined for playing the Aerosmith song "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)" while a transgender woman was questioned by a fellow officer, police confirmed Friday.

Det. Thomas McLaughlin became the subject of an internal affairs investigation, was given a verbal warning and was ordered to attend sensitivity training after the Dec. 22 incident, Lakewood Police Capt. Ed Hassing said.

The song's lyrics refer to a man with a feminine appearance dressed in woman's clothing who the narrator mistakes for a woman.

The woman was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting and was questioned Dec. 22 at the Lakewood police station.

In her complaint to the department, the woman said she heard the song as McLaughlin's fellow officer conducted an interview. Lakewood's internal affairs unit later upheld her complaint.

"(McLaughlin) was retrained on how to behave in certain situations, and to be aware of who might be in the room," Hassing said.

The Northeast Ohio Media Group requested a copy of McLaughlin's personnel file. It was not made available as of 5 p.m. Friday.