By Police1 Staff
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — A police officer was refused service at a Chuck E. Cheese for carrying their firearm, WBKO reported.
The Bowling Green officer was wearing a marked police polo shirt into the restaurant on Aug. 19, according to the officer’s Facebook post.
Carrying while in uniform is in accordance to the restaurant’s policy, a Chuck E. Cheese spokesperson told the news site. They believe it was a misunderstanding that the employee was unclear of the policy.
“Our firearms policy does not apply to officers in uniform,” said the corporate public relations chair to the website. “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.”
It shouldn’t have been a problem in the first place, Edmonson County Sheriff Shane Doyle said to the news site. Kentucky State Law allows officers to carry concealed weapons anywhere in the state except federal buildings regardless of whether they are wearing uniforms.
“Everybody needs to be aware of what the laws are and everybody needs to understand that somebody who is trained and qualified to carry a weapon, they’re there to help people,” Doyle told the reporter.
Although Doyle was shocked by the news, he said he has no plans to boycott the restaurant.
In a state that has over 200,000 licensed conceal and carry holders, the possibility of this incident repeating is possible. Doyle told the publication the only way to avoid having this situation occur again is to properly train employees.
The restaurant has since apologized and the incident is not under investigation.