Three parole officers in Franklin, Tennessee were asked to leave a local T.G.I. Friday's this week because they were armed.
A manager told the parole officers they were not allowed to have guns in the restaurant after they entered to grab a bite to eat on Tuesday, according to WSMV-TV.
The incident triggered backlash on social media and garnered comment from the Tennessee Fraternal Order of Police.
"The officers are out there to protect the public," Johnny Crumby, President of the Tennessee FOP, said. "If somebody comes in while someone is on their lunch break, they are not off-duty. They are still an officer. They will respond to whatever occurs there."
The Tennessee Department of Correction confirmed to the news station the officers were in uniform and carrying state-issued law enforcement IDs when they entered the restaurant. Officials said that the officers all quietly and respectfully left the restaurant when they were asked to leave.
While the restaurant chain bans customers from carrying firearms, law enforcement officers are allowed to eat in the restaurants while armed.
Friday's corporate office interviewed the manager and subsequently released the following statement:
"The incident at our Franklin, Tennessee restaurant was caused by a manager’s misunderstanding of our company gun policy, and that manager has since been coached on the policy and now knows that police officers are always allowed to carry guns in our restaurants, whether they are in uniform or not. We have reached out to the officers to personally apologize for the unfortunate misunderstanding, and we’ve invited them back in to join us for a free lunch."
