On Monday an officer arrived at one of my restaurants just prior to our lunch rush. He was looking for one of my employees who had called out sick for the day. He asked when she would be back and I informed him she was scheduled to be back at work at 11am on Tuesday. He said he would be back to get her and would be as discreet as possible.
Well this morning the employee in question comes rolling in at 10am. She informs me that she has a felony warrant for selling stolen merchandise to a Pawn Shop. She claims that she bought a computer used, wasn't aware that it was stolen and then pawned it. She said that the police had been to her house the day prior and she heard from another employee that they had also come by the restaurant the day prior.
I told her that was in fact the case and that she should would get picked up and should not try to continue evading the police. She informed that she did not have money for bail, her boyfriend was in the parking lot waiting for her and she had to go. I suggested to her that she contact her parents and ask them to be prepared to post bail for her. I said she should then contact the pawn shop and explain she unknowingly sold them a used computer. Finally, I told her that she should call the OKC PD, turn herself in, cooperate with the warrant and they would be much more likely to believe her story.
The officer comes back to my restaurant during our lunch rush and is informed by the manager on duty that our employee did not return to work. I had to step out for a few hours to visit one of my other locations. The officer goes back to the girl's house to serve the warrant and has the landlord let him in. The girl informs him that she had spoken to me that morning and I had let her know that they had in fact been looking for her at the restaurant.
This is where it get's crappy. I guess it really pissed the officer off that I did not lie to my employee about him being at the store the day prior and try to convince her to stick around for an hour and a half to wait on him even though she clearly had every intention of leaving. The officer failed to introduce himself the day prior and did not leave a card or I would have called and told him about my conversation with the employee. After arresting her, he drives straight to the restaurant, now full of customers, demands that the manager who is cooking at the time, stop what he is doing and go outside.
He informs the manager that he has the girl in custody in the back of his squad car and that if I were there he would be arresting me on a felony charge of harboring a fugitive. My manager was pretty intimidated by the whole deal and just stood there for this guy's rant and then went back in and went to work.
I on the other hand, am totally pissed. First of all, I made every effort to cooperate with this officer. Second, none of my actions were even remotely close to harboring a fugitive. Third, I think it was incredibly unprofessional for this guy to disrupt a business full of customers just because he was so pissed off that he needed to go show someone how much authority he has.
I know being a cop is not an easy job. I don't like most cops I've met but I always show them respect. I get a speeding ticket once every couple years and otherwise have no interaction with the police other than when one of my employees is in trouble. I plan to call and file a formal complaint with this guy's supervisor in the morning but I am sure it won't amount to much. The whole thing just really has me upset and will make me much less likely to cooperate with the police in the future.
Well this morning the employee in question comes rolling in at 10am. She informs me that she has a felony warrant for selling stolen merchandise to a Pawn Shop. She claims that she bought a computer used, wasn't aware that it was stolen and then pawned it. She said that the police had been to her house the day prior and she heard from another employee that they had also come by the restaurant the day prior.
I told her that was in fact the case and that she should would get picked up and should not try to continue evading the police. She informed that she did not have money for bail, her boyfriend was in the parking lot waiting for her and she had to go. I suggested to her that she contact her parents and ask them to be prepared to post bail for her. I said she should then contact the pawn shop and explain she unknowingly sold them a used computer. Finally, I told her that she should call the OKC PD, turn herself in, cooperate with the warrant and they would be much more likely to believe her story.
The officer comes back to my restaurant during our lunch rush and is informed by the manager on duty that our employee did not return to work. I had to step out for a few hours to visit one of my other locations. The officer goes back to the girl's house to serve the warrant and has the landlord let him in. The girl informs him that she had spoken to me that morning and I had let her know that they had in fact been looking for her at the restaurant.
This is where it get's crappy. I guess it really pissed the officer off that I did not lie to my employee about him being at the store the day prior and try to convince her to stick around for an hour and a half to wait on him even though she clearly had every intention of leaving. The officer failed to introduce himself the day prior and did not leave a card or I would have called and told him about my conversation with the employee. After arresting her, he drives straight to the restaurant, now full of customers, demands that the manager who is cooking at the time, stop what he is doing and go outside.
He informs the manager that he has the girl in custody in the back of his squad car and that if I were there he would be arresting me on a felony charge of harboring a fugitive. My manager was pretty intimidated by the whole deal and just stood there for this guy's rant and then went back in and went to work.
I on the other hand, am totally pissed. First of all, I made every effort to cooperate with this officer. Second, none of my actions were even remotely close to harboring a fugitive. Third, I think it was incredibly unprofessional for this guy to disrupt a business full of customers just because he was so pissed off that he needed to go show someone how much authority he has.
I know being a cop is not an easy job. I don't like most cops I've met but I always show them respect. I get a speeding ticket once every couple years and otherwise have no interaction with the police other than when one of my employees is in trouble. I plan to call and file a formal complaint with this guy's supervisor in the morning but I am sure it won't amount to much. The whole thing just really has me upset and will make me much less likely to cooperate with the police in the future.
That's funny. Sorry, Lt. Gerard...
