Iowa community furious over 'Hang That N-word' wifi name -- but they can’t do anything about it

The college town of Ames, Iowa has been roiled over a racist wi-fi name but police say there is nothing that can be done.

According to the Des Moines Register, the name was first noticed by a visiting Californian, who called police to report it.

Police told the woman who called that they could do nothing.

"Unfortunately, it’s not illegal to be a giant a**hole,” said police spokesman Geoff Huff. "Obviously, they don’t care who they are offending... We would have to get a subpoena or search warrant, and we can’t legally do that because there isn’t any reason to."

Iowa State University in Ames has a recent history of racist incidents, including those directed at black student-athletes.

The local ACLU has also stepped up to defend the wi-fi network name.

“Government, including police, can’t dictate what people may or may not name their Wi-Fi networks—even when those names are deeply offensive,"said the ACLU. "It’s clearly a free speech issue."

If the wifi network's owner is eventually revealed and is a student they would be kicked out of school under Iowa State University's student code of conduct, which prohibites racial harassment.