A Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper is in hot water and has been reprimanded by the DPS after posing for a photo with rapper Snoop Dogg at the South by Southwest Festival in Austin last month.

30-year veteran State Trooper Billy Spears was working security at South by Southwest in March the night Snoop Dogg was a keynote speaker at the event. The famous rapper asked the trooper if he would take a photo with him and Spears obliged - not knowing that the photo would be cause for disciplinary action by his department.

DPS officials saw the photo on Instagram and immediately decided to discipline Spears and ordered him to undergo counseling. Why? Because he took a photo "with a known criminal" due to Snoop's multiple convictions for drug possession. Spears' lawyer claims, however, that the trooper did not know anything about Snoop Dogg's past convictions when his publicist snapped the photo.

Spears' lawyer also claims that the DPS is singling Spears out because he recently reported another officer for misconduct. Spears and his lawyer are considering filing a lawsuit against the DPS.

What do you think -- was the State Trooper wrong for posing for a picture with Snoop Dogg? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

Here's the photo Snoop Dogg posted to Instagram:

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