MCSO warning deputies to avoid McDonald's

Posted: Friday, February 4, 2011 12:35 pm

MCSO warning deputies to avoid McDonald's Tribune East Valley Tribune

The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office is warning its deputies to reconsider eating at McDonald's after an incident reported Thursday at a Mesa restaurant.

According to a news release on Friday, a uniformed deputy ordering lunch at the McDonald's at 1460 W. Southern Ave. was the subject of verbal abuse directed at himself and his agency. The deputy, who speaks Spanish, confronted the food handlers and refused to accept his order, then reported the incident to the sheriff and McDonald's corporate headquarters.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the restaurant was the target of an employer sanctions investigation in March, when four illegal immigrants were arrested on suspicion of identity theft. Three other nearby locations were tied to the investigation, leading to the arrest of 13 others.

"I am not asking my employees to avoid McDonalds completely," Arpaio said in a statement. "But I do think that anytime one of them is in uniform or driving a marked vehicle, out of an abundance of caution, he or she should use some discretion when deciding where to eat."

The sheriff's office says it has conducted 41 ID theft business raids, resulting in 462 arrests. The latest was conducted Thursday at a central Phoenix construction business called Western Erectors, where eight employees were arrested on suspicion of ID theft.

Source

Arpaio issues warning to deputies about McDonald's

Feb. 4, 2011 02:11 PM

Associated Press

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is urging his uniformed deputies to use caution when eating at McDonald's restaurants following an alleged incident at a Mesa McDonald's.

The Sheriff's Office says a uniformed deputy was verbally harassed in Spanish by McDonald's food handlers Thursday. The deputy says both he and the Sheriff were accused of being racists.

The deputy confronted the workers in Spanish about their remarks and refused to accept his food order as a precaution.

Arpaio said in a news release the restaurant was targeted for an employer sanctions investigation last March when four people were arrested for identification theft.

Calls to McDonald's Corporate offices have not been returned. The Mesa McDonald's Manager Hector Cruz refused to comment when contacted by the Associated Press.