Cop Congratulates Self on Restraint, Tries to Arrest KFC Employee

So an Arizona cop, on leave following a head injury from a motorcycle accident, recently had some trouble with his order at KFC. They were out of the chicken he wanted, and followed store policy by offering him an alternative and a voucher instead of a refund.

Here's police Lt. Michael Graham's summary of what happened next:

"The thing that I'm proud of: I didn't lose my temper. I didn't raise my voice. This isn't worth it," he says.

But if this is what not losing your temper looks like, I've been doing it all wrong. The manager's version:

"He told me, 'Look, fat a–, I don't want to talk. Just give me my money or I'm taking you to jail. Do you know who I am?'" [KFC worker] Tavi Padilla told other Williams police officers via a written statement….

"He told me that he was the police lieutenant and told me I had to give him his money back. I said that whether he's the president of the United States or just a regular person, I can't give him his money back," [19-year-old manager Corey] Fritsinger said….

"He asked me how old I was and said he was going to take me to jail personally," he said. "He said, 'I'm putting you in the back of my car.'"

By Graham's own account, he later referred to some lower-ranking officers who showed up on the scene as "lazy fucks." And records from police dispatch have Graham calling in with this: "I've got a problem with the manager. I'm going to take him for fraudulent activity, so I need a car."

To their immense credit, the Williams, Arizona, police department seems to have done the right thing here—suspending the officer immediately, going to his house with a warrant to retrieve his badge and gun, conducting a disciplinary hearing promptly, and then firing him.

More Reason on KFC here. More Reason on angry cops here.

Via Cold Mud.