I am sorry but this is just plain stupid and I think bordering on abuse of power

[kaplods]

Thanks Tammy, I try to see all sides. They always say there at least three sides to every story, so I usually at least try to consider as many possibilities as I can. But often you don't know what you don't know, you know? (How's that for confusion?)

This is often my problem with the media, it can make the unreasonable appear reasonable, and the reasonable seem insane. It's all in the presentation and the backstory, which most of us will never know.

[bargoo]

Don't forget what happened at Wendy's with the finger in the chili, turned to be completelf false, this woman was arrested , went to trial, was convicted and is now serving time.

[kaplods]

And I did notice that the cop mentioned salt AND pepper being excessive in his burger (as in perhaps to cover the taste of something nastier perhaps - it was at least a logical assumption on his part). The defendant on the video, admits only to the salt, saying the top fell off and it accidentally poured rather than sprinkled into the meat. If it was also overpeppered, did she "accidentally" pour salt and then "accidentally" pour pepper into the meat? That doesn't sound very likely.

[bargoo]

If I was served a meal thar was too salty I would return it to the kitchen I wouldn't eat it.

[kaplods]

I doubt that he did eat more than one bite (and may not have even swallowed the bite he took). The reason he probably went to the hospital "sick" was in case there had been something more hazardous, like cleaning fluids, lsd or other dangerous drugs (it's been known to happen) that the salt and pepper was added to disguise.

It may sound paranoid, but since it's been known to happen, and not once but repeatedly, the cop couldn't do anything, but assume the worst (which would no doubt, make him more than a little ligitimately nauseous).

Even as a probation officer, I hated having to be so paranoid that I couldn't accept a cup of coffee from a probationees' grandmother, but it was what we were trained to do (actually we were trained to accept beverages, but "pretend" to drink in a way that no one would suspect unless they measured the liquid in the cup that you hadn't drunk anything, and to turn down "solid" food by saying we had just had a HUGE meal, and if they insisted ask if they minded if we took it home for later, since we were SOOO stuffed from the meal).

Can you imagine finding body fluids in your taco? If you had a cold sore or cut in your mouth, wouldn't you wonder if the person had HIV or hepatitis?
Believe me this cop knows it has happened to other cops, and it couldn't have been too far from his mind wondering what else "might" have been in that burger?

[kaplods]

This incident does remind me of recent incidents at our local McDonald's on the night shift (not lawsuit worthy, but annoying). Our nightshift McDonalds's workers apparently like to play pranks on customers, as twice I have had burger cravings during TOM (several months apart) and sent hubby for a big mac, and recieved a VERY slimy oversauced big mac. I mean, they're supposed to put maybe a tablespoon of sauce on, and these burgers had WELL over 1/4 cup. I took one bite of the sandwhich (I don't know how they put it together so it looked normal) and the burgers shot out of the bun (the sauce had coated all three buns).

The first time it happened, I figured it was an accident or a new employee, so I didn't even think of complaining, but the second time it happened a few months later (with even more sauce put on than the first time), I realized it was done on purpose for the night cook's amusement.

The first time, my husband said "maybe that's the way the guy likes his BigMac," but when he saw the second burger a few months later (with the burger box filled with orange goo), even he had to admit it was obviously not an accident or honest mistake.

[freeqeegrl]

some people just shouldnt be allowed to breath.

[kaplods]

I would bet that we won't hear the police officer's "defense" in the media, as the police aren't likely to want to admit that tampering with a cop's food is something that occurs with any frequency. I remember when it happened with the Taco Bell incident when I was a probation officer, there was alot of effort to keep it out of the newspaper, or at least off the front page for fear of copycat crimes.

[kaplods]

It did keep me from fast food for quite a while, though, especially since at the time, nearly every time I hit a drive-thru, the kid was at the window was someone I recognized from the probation office, jail, or juvenile detention center (where I worked before probation).

[newFannie07]

I had no clue that this kind of thing happens frequently to police/ probation officers etc. I guess I have my head in the sand.

She is charged with Reckless Endangerment not Assault. As I understand endagerment does not imply intent to harm, but you knew what you were doing was wrong. She should have thrown the meat out. But who knows, maybe she was too scared of losing her job? Maybe she had messed up before and caused other food waste? Not that it makes her actions right.

But I think that a full blown arrest with having to call more police in for backup is a bit of overkill. Unless of course she was beligerent (sp?)

Kerri

[kaplods]

If he called for backup, that's probably what happened, and possibly why he refused to back down about charges being filed. If she had been super apologetic, he very well may have dropped the whole thing. But if she got upset and thought the cop was being ridiculous (which could be a very natural reaction if she were not be aware that purposeful tampering is something cops deal with), she may have thrown a fit. Nothing ticks a cop off more than resistance, even if it's all verbal, because it's the first sign that the situation is getting ugly and somebody could get hurt.

When I was a probation officer, one day on my day off, my mother and I were pulling into a parking lot of a restaurant to go to lunch. A routine traffic stop got ugly. We could here the guy arguing that he hadn't blown the stop sign (he did, we saw it) and not only did the cop have to call back-up it took 6 cops to get him into the back of the squad car.

Later, I'd heard that the guy was saying that the cop had overreacted, and that he'd called for backup and 6 cops had "jumped him." Mom and I saw the whole thing, and we thought the cops had had the patience of Job for not beating the crap out of him. I'm sure each of them went home sore and bruised, and the guy probably had bruises from where the cops had tried to get and keep a hold on him, but nothing they'd done could be called a blow or a strike.

The stupid part was I knew the first cop on the scene very well, and he said he would have let the guy off with a warning, if he hadn't freaked out.