The sheriff’s department in Tuscon Arizona had planned a DUI enforcement operation in which deputies would be stationed inside fast-food restaurants at night to observe customers placing their orders. Then, they would notify uniformed officers hiding outside the restaurant who could arrest the hungry people. What is possibly more absurd than this ridiculous idea is that the sheriff’s department had a grant of $128,000.00 to pay for this malarkey! There are your tax dollars hard at work – staking out the Taco Bell. Here is the story from the local paper. Here is another story. To add insult to taxpayer injury, the program was actually called “Operation Would You Like Fries”. I couldn’t make these stories of an out-of-control government up if I tried. The Arizona authorities got the idea from the Canadian Mounted police who, apparently, have already been doing it!
Of course, the undercover officer would have had to have jumped to the conclusion of intoxication based on the way a person talked or appeared while ordering their food. There have been studies done to determine whether a police officer can accurately determine whether a person is under the influence or not based upon the odor of alcohol (they couldn’t) or their appearance (they couldn’t). In fact, some of the previously considered “classic symptoms” of intoxication have now been determined by the National Highway Transportation Administration to not be “clues” of impairment, after all (including bloodshot eyes and a flushed face). So, this was all very suspect anyway. Fortunately, the restaurants decided they weren’t that interested in their paying customers being arrested at their place of business based on how they looked or talked.
The staking out of fast food places by undercover officers is not so far-fetched. Right here in Johnson County officers have been known to dress up undercover and go to high school activities to try to learn about teenage parties where there may be alcohol present as part of multi-jurisdictional Kansas M.I.P or M.I.C. (minor in possession/consumption) laws enforcement campaigns. I would imagine the police departments get large grants for these efforts, as well.
So, be on your best behavior next time you get the late-night munchies. The government may be watching.