Illinois cops banned from a Denny's Restaurant after a manager told five on-duty detectives they had to leave because one of them had a firearm.
The cops were at a Belleville, Illinois Denny's when and had their badges and their guns, but as detectives, not their uniforms, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
This bothered a patron who then complained to a manager, David Rice, who then complained to one of the detectives: "Please take your gun to your car or leave. No guns allowed."
"The Belleville Police Department is very disheartened by the lack of respect shown to on-duty sworn police officers, Capt. Don Sax said in a statement to Fox News. "Until further notice all on duty Belleville Police officers are banned from Denny's Restaurant unless responding to an official call for service."
According to Sax, Rice then told the officers that it is company policy to allow only uniformed officers to carry their guns into a restaurant and that a sign on the door stated that policy.
The officers all got up to leave, refusing to pay for their meal. As they were leaving, Sax said a Denny's general manager, Michael Van, approached the group. He told them Rice was wrong and it was fine for them to stay and to keep their guns.
The detectives, whom Sax described as "embarrassed" by the incident, decided to leave anyway. Sax said the detectives made a point to check the door on their way out.
Denny's quickly apologized for the cops banned from their restaurant and issued a statement.
"Upon further discussion, we became aware the individual was a plain-clothed police officer," Denny's spokeswoman Liz DiTrapano said in a statement, according to the News-Democrat. "Denny's policy permits law enforcement officials to carry their firearms in the restaurant, and we regret any misunderstanding."
