A Kentucky Chuck E. Cheese's has come under fire for refusing to serve an officer who was carrying a firearm even though state law and the establishment's own policy permits them to do so.
The incident occurred Friday at Chuck E. Cheese's in the Greenwood Mall in Bowling Green, Ky. The female officer allegedly went inside the eatery with her weapon holstered, prompting her to be turned away by employees who cited the restaurant's "no firearms" policy.
This action provoked the ire of people who heard about the incident, including a sheriff from a neighboring jurisdiction, according to WBKO-TV.
"I was upset," Edmonson County Sheriff Shane Doyle told the station. "I was shocked for that officer and also for all the patrons there because, you know, if you have an obvious police officer and they're wearing police clothing, then I don't understand what the problem would be having someone like that with the training and experience of a police officer [coming] into an establishment."
In light of the event, Chuck E. Cheese's national headquarters said the entire situation was a misunderstanding, noting the policy doesn't apply to officers in uniform, according to Fox News.
"Our firearms policy does not apply to officers in uniform. We do have a firearms policy for civilians and off-duty, non-uniformed officers, but officers in uniform are always welcome to bring in their firearms," said Chuck E. Cheese's headquarter's Public Relations Chair Alexis Lynn.
The situation apparently became complicated because the officer in question was wearing a marked police polo shirt, which employees might not have recognized as an actual uniform.
Doyle, however, argues that shouldn't be a problem since he's worked in law enforcement for a long time and he "obviously" recognizes "that person as a sworn employee." Furthermore, he mentions that Kentucky state law permits officers to carry their weapon in all locations except for federal buildings.
In closing, Doyle said that while he still intends to take his family to the Bowling Green Chuck E. Cheese's, everybody "needs to understand that somebody who is trained and qualified to carry a weapon, they're there to help people."
