By Police1 Staff
FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Three armed officers were asked to leave a T.G.I. Friday’s restaurant Tuesday after a manager said they were not allowed to have firearms in the restaurant.
WSMV reports that the Tennessee Department of Corrections confirmed that the parole officers were in uniform and carrying state-issued law enforcement IDs at the time.
Though customers are banned from carrying firearms within the restaurant, an exception is made for law enforcement officers, according to WSMV.
The incident cause a stir on social media and ended up catching the attention of Tennesee Fraternal Order of Police.
“The officers are out there to protect the public,” Tennesee Fraternal Order of Police President Johnny Crumby said to WSMV. “If somebody comes in while someone is on their lunch break, they are not off-duty. They are still an officer. They will respond to whatever occurs there.”
After an investigation, Friday’s issued an apology for the misunderstanding and said they had retrained the manager on their restaurant policies.
“We have reached out to the officers to personally apologize,” the company said in a statement. “We’ve invited them back to join us for a free lunch.”
The TDOC would not allow the officers to speak to the news organization for comment, but did point out that the officers left the restaurant quietly and peacefully when they were asked to do so.
Here is the company’s full statement, posted on Facebook:
Fridays has a long history of supporting law enforcement officers and all public service officials – they serve a...
Posted by TGI Friday’s Franklin on Wednesday, October 7, 2015