Police Kicked Out Of Belleville Denny’s For Being Armed

[~n/t~]

It appears to me that the female gun was on the table and that may have made the customer uncomfortable. That's the only thing that makes any sense to me.

 

[LolaMoon08]

Sax said the police had their badges in full view, either by their handguns or they were wearing them around their necks. Plus, portable police radios were on the table.

http://kplr11.com/2013/01/02/belleville-police-banned-from-dennys/

That's even more bizarre. I have never seen off duty officers wearing their badges on their person? Maybe they wanted a discount because only officers on duty get discounts? Another perk they seem to like to take advantage of. There have been many, many accounts where officers abuse the hell out of businesses that do not cater to their wishes for free or discounted stuff.

I've personally been on the receiving end of an officers entitled attitude. It's not pretty and I don't think any business or their employee's should serve them when they become like this. Personally, I would get a tresspassing warrant. Calling for a ban on my place of employment would have been welcomed! Trust me!

And portable radio's on the table? That is even more bizarre! From what I understand, these officers were off duty (even though they really do work 24/7) and they were in plain clothes. Like regular street clothes. I still don't see how it was possible that they had their badges visible to the naked eye and a customer made a complaint? If the badges were on their waistbands, that doesn't make them visible. I don't know if I believe that they had them around their necks? But, that is just me.

Put yourself in the customers shoes though. After the Sandy Hook shooting? We shouldn't be coming down too hard on this person. We need to be more aware of our surroundings. So what if it made a couple of police officers upset? Actually, they really have no reason to be upset at all! It was a simple misunderstanding. Nothing to get all huffy and nasty about. Which it appears that they did since they left after the General Manager had cleared things up.

Not all officer are like this (10 out of 100 maybe, so 10%), but I can imagine exactly how this whole thing went down, and I do not blame the customer or the manager. It makes the most sense to me that the officers made this into something a lot bigger than what it was. And calling for a ban on a business is nothing short of bullying. I see now that the ban has been lifted... but, if the restaurant refused to serve them, I would not be mad.

MOO

 

[LolaMoon08]

This is the stupidest story ever from all sides. Customer complains about cop having a gun. Other customers have no issue. Cops get upset, leave and boycott the place. Police Chief issues a ban and then lifts the ban and now it's ok. Restaurant offers free meals to all police officers.

Say what? I feel like I'm reading a script from Candid Camera or Just for Laughs comedy festival. LOL or that new show on HLN called "What would you do".

BBM Bribery is a crime.

 

[LolaMoon08]

It appears to me that the female gun was on the table and that may have made the customer uncomfortable. That's the only thing that makes any sense to me.

OFF TOPIC, but, "What Would You Do" is awesome! As a member of Websleuths who follows a lot of missing/murdered children cases, this one stunt had me heated that no one helped except for three men at the end.

[video=youtube;H7dfkZKjWSo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7dfkZKjWSo[/video]

ETA::: I quoted the wrong post. I meant to quote the post that brought up the show, "What Would You Do."

 

[Anadarko]

Okay, let me get this straight...

A group of off-duty police officers in plain clothes show up to a family restuarant. It appears to me that their badges were not visible to the naked eye or a concerned customer would not have reported it to a manager in the first place.

A manager, who has probably been told that guns are prohibited from being inside that family restaurant tells the officers they have to leave or put their guns in their vehicle. However, the General Manager, who would know better, corrects the situation, but the officers leave anyways.

Now there is a call for all officers to boycott Denny's by the chief/sheriff? It was a simple misunderstanding between a bunch of officers who should have had their badges visible, a concerned customer, and an unknowing manager.

The chief/sheriff needs to grow up.

Not off duty. Out of Uniform. They are detectives. They don't always have a uniform. They pin them on, or wear them around the neck. Pretty standard.

 

[Anadarko]

I dont care if thier on duty or off duty i say Good job to the place they walked in to . Iam so sick off the police thinking they can do whatever the hell they want 'When they want They are not Above the law . no one is .

Good for Denny's! Those police officer's shouldn't be allowed to eat, and I'm darn sick and tired of them thinking they can eat what they want, when they want! Who the hell do they think they are? :floorlaugh::floorlaugh::floorlaugh:

These officers came in for a bite to eat, just like any of us would do on a lunch hour. They just happen to carry a gun. And some namby pamby, anti gun girly man, got his panties in a bunch, and wanted to be the big man. (but blamed it on a customer that I doubt exists) So he picked on the chick cop. Nice work, tough guy!

 

[JBean]

I cannot believe there is even attention being brought to this simple mistake.
Officers were on- duty and so could not leave their guns in the car. Inexperienced manager made the wrong call but it was corrected by higher up- before they even left the restaurant!

The only questionable act for me was the Police Chief making this a spectacle. If Denny's was digging in their heels and not allowing armed officers in their restaurants I could see his point. But they corrected their mistake immediately but the Chief had a bit of a tantrum IMO.

Unless there is key information missing the Chief should never have even made this newsworthy.

 

[Anadarko]

what law did they break? and, while "on duty", LEOs must wear their complete uniforms, correct? their gun is part of that. and, according to reports, the LEOs took pics of the door on their way out and there was no sign prohibiting guns... and even if there was a sign, can you imagine?

as a business owner, wouldn't you feel safer with LEOs with guns inside your establishment than without? smh

Good point on the lack of no gun signs. I carry a gun, and if the biz I walk into doesn't have a no gun sign, I can eat with it sitting on top of my head if I want to. I wouldn't, of course, but I can.

 

[Anadarko]

BBM Bribery is a crime.

Bribery??? :floorlaugh::floorlaugh::floorlaugh: You call that bribery?

In MANY towns, for MANY years, it has been a courtesy. The men and women who protect us every day, who put their life on the line, are under paid, and under appreciated. So many businesses give discounted, or free, meals to LE. It's a way of saying Thank You. WTH is wrong with that?

 

[Anadarko]

That's even more bizarre. I have never seen off duty officers wearing their badges on their person? Maybe they wanted a discount because only officers on duty get discounts? Another perk they seem to like to take advantage of. There have been many, many accounts where officers abuse the hell out of businesses that do not cater to their wishes for free or discounted stuff.

I've personally been on the receiving end of an officers entitled attitude. It's not pretty and I don't think any business or their employee's should serve them when they become like this. Personally, I would get a tresspassing warrant. Calling for a ban on my place of employment would have been welcomed! Trust me!

And portable radio's on the table? That is even more bizarre! From what I understand, these officers were off duty (even though they really do work 24/7) and they were in plain clothes. Like regular street clothes. I still don't see how it was possible that they had their badges visible to the naked eye and a customer made a complaint? If the badges were on their waistbands, that doesn't make them visible. I don't know if I believe that they had them around their necks? But, that is just me.

Put yourself in the customers shoes though. After the Sandy Hook shooting? We shouldn't be coming down too hard on this person. We need to be more aware of our surroundings. So what if it made a couple of police officers upset? Actually, they really have no reason to be upset at all! It was a simple misunderstanding. Nothing to get all huffy and nasty about. Which it appears that they did since they left after the General Manager had cleared things up.

Not all officer are like this (10 out of 100 maybe, so 10%), but I can imagine exactly how this whole thing went down, and I do not blame the customer or the manager. It makes the most sense to me that the officers made this into something a lot bigger than what it was. And calling for a ban on a business is nothing short of bullying. I see now that the ban has been lifted... but, if the restaurant refused to serve them, I would not be mad.

MOO

Not off duty - out of uniform. Big difference.

Radio on table? That's a big deal? Really? I'm going to need to get out more, because in my small town, and the town I work in, and the huge suburb I grew up in, and the bigger cities I visit, I see it. Where is it that you can't put radios on a table?

I will agree, no ban should have made the news. And no higher up should have made the decision. But if I was one of the detectives at Denny's, I would have made sure no one in my dept gave them a dime again.

 

[Paulette]

Perhaps the "uncomfortable customer" should have left.

Serious stupidity on the part of the manager - to even say such a thing to LE is comtemptable.

 

[popsicle]

Good for Denny's! Those police officer's shouldn't be allowed to eat, and I'm darn sick and tired of them thinking they can eat what they want, when they want! Who the hell do they think they are? :floorlaugh::floorlaugh::floorlaugh:

These officers came in for a bite to eat, just like any of us would do on a lunch hour. They just happen to carry a gun. And some namby pamby, anti gun girly man, got his panties in a bunch, and wanted to be the big man. (but blamed it on a customer that I doubt exists) So he picked on the chick cop. Nice work, tough guy!

:floorlaugh::floorlaugh::floorlaugh:

 

[~n/t~]

BBM Bribery is a crime.

I wouldn't consider it bribery. It's good business practice. We've seen it done many times by companies/restaurants.

 

[~n/t~]

Perhaps the "uncomfortable customer" should have left.

Serious stupidity on the part of the manager - to even say such a thing to LE is comtemptable.

Agree. Customer should have left. Period. Others had no problems with the officers being there.

That said, the reference is made to the "female" gun. It would be interesting to know if indeed the gun was placed on the table and the officer did not have it on her in a holster. (is that what they're called?...that's how much I know about guns lol)

 

[~n/t~]

That's even more bizarre. I have never seen off duty officers wearing their badges on their person? Maybe they wanted a discount because only officers on duty get discounts? Another perk they seem to like to take advantage of. There have been many, many accounts where officers abuse the hell out of businesses that do not cater to their wishes for free or discounted stuff.

I've personally been on the receiving end of an officers entitled attitude. It's not pretty and I don't think any business or their employee's should serve them when they become like this. Personally, I would get a tresspassing warrant. Calling for a ban on my place of employment would have been welcomed! Trust me!

And portable radio's on the table? That is even more bizarre! From what I understand, these officers were off duty (even though they really do work 24/7) and they were in plain clothes. Like regular street clothes. I still don't see how it was possible that they had their badges visible to the naked eye and a customer made a complaint? If the badges were on their waistbands, that doesn't make them visible. I don't know if I believe that they had them around their necks? But, that is just me.

Put yourself in the customers shoes though. After the Sandy Hook shooting? We shouldn't be coming down too hard on this person. We need to be more aware of our surroundings. So what if it made a couple of police officers upset? Actually, they really have no reason to be upset at all! It was a simple misunderstanding. Nothing to get all huffy and nasty about. Which it appears that they did since they left after the General Manager had cleared things up.

Not all officer are like this (10 out of 100 maybe, so 10%), but I can imagine exactly how this whole thing went down, and I do not blame the customer or the manager. It makes the most sense to me that the officers made this into something a lot bigger than what it was. And calling for a ban on a business is nothing short of bullying. I see now that the ban has been lifted... but, if the restaurant refused to serve them, I would not be mad.

MOO

Agree. Unprofessional. I would have gone up to the customer and talked to him/her to ease their fear or whatever and showed them my badge and apologize if it made them uncomfortable. I'm sure the whole situation could have been better handled by all sides.

I love police officers and I usually buy them a coffee at our local Tim Horton's. Their job is to serve and protect and the majority of them don't have that chip on their shoulders that they're holier than thou. Actually, I don't think I've ever met one in person that I didn't appreciate and yes even when I was stopped for a traffic violation. (speeding ticket)....once. :blushing:

Then you have the Drew Peterson's in this world that have some serious issues! I'm sure there are others just like him. Thankfully not too many.

 

[Gardenlady]

I just wish people would just keep one thing in mind - not everyone grows up or lives in a place where LE are always good guys. So even if some customers knew that the people carrying guns were LE, they might still have had reason to feel uncomfortable with weapons showing.

If you are from a place or a member of a community to whom LE is truly always your friend, then you're very lucky.

 

[Kimberlyd125]

I just wish people would just keep one thing in mind - not everyone grows up or lives in a place where LE are always good guys. So even if some customers knew that the people carrying guns were LE, they might still have had reason to feel uncomfortable with weapons showing.

If you are from a place or a member of a community to whom LE is truly always your friend, then you're very lucky.

Does LE anywhere go to eat as a group, finish their meal, and start shooting other customers?
I've never heard of one incident like that.

These detectives had every right to be there with their guns. The customer was being paranoid.

It's ridiculous.

 

[Gardenlady]

YEs, they have the right, if the establishment owner allows it (what happened to free enterprise, and a business own being able to set the rules for his own establishment? :crazy: ), but having the right doesn't mean that it won't make some people uncomfortable or frightened. Sometimes for good reason. Again, if you are used to LE always being the good guys, then your reaction will be much different to someone who is used to LE being corrupt, or aggressive, threatening, or unhelpful.

Just a thought - I have the right to walk around in a Batman costume, carrying a metal baseball bat and maybe talking to myself, but that doesn't mean other folks won't be uncomfortable or scared, KWIM? Sometimes having the right to do something means having the sense to realize that not everyone will like what you're doing.

 

[rosesfromangels]

I think people are extremely on edge do to all the recent and escalating gun violence. It's not unreasonable to ask why someone is wearing a gun, but the Denny's manager handled the situation poorly, in my opinion. I can see where it would be unsettling to see people in plain clothes wearing weapons while you are trying to enjoy your morning pancakes, but a simple explanation should have sufficed. We can never do enough to show respect and thanks to our members of LE. Denny's shame on you....I would recommend that they make an attempt at ammends by sponsoring a fund raiser for their local PAL. That would be a good start in repairing this situation. As to the Denny's manager - back to training for him!

 

[Karmady]

YEs, they have the right, if the establishment owner allows it (what happened to free enterprise, and a business own being able to set the rules for his own establishment? :crazy: ), but having the right doesn't mean that it won't make some people uncomfortable or frightened. Sometimes for good reason. Again, if you are used to LE always being the good guys, then your reaction will be much different to someone who is used to LE being corrupt, or aggressive, threatening, or unhelpful.

Just a thought - I have the right to walk around in a Batman costume, carrying a metal baseball bat and maybe talking to myself, but that doesn't mean other folks won't be uncomfortable or scared, KWIM? Sometimes having the right to do something means having the sense to realize that not everyone will like what you're doing.

I heard on the news yesterday that Denny's policy is to allow it and that the manager's position was incorrect. So, really, the issue isn't about free enterprise, it's about whether a single customer can make policy for the entire establishment simply by expressing discomfort or whatever about a particular situation. If the detectives were all in plain clothes and were otherwise unknown to management, I can see the mgr. asking to see a badge or similar, but that should have been the extent of it, imo