Woman Shames Cop For Eating On Duty, So He Tells Her About His Day
During his shift, a police officer stopped at a Burger King to get some food. He hadn’t eaten in eight hours and was starving. Before he could enjoy a meal, however, he noticed a woman giving him dirty looks. So, she turned to him and said that he shouldn’t stop to eat while on duty. He then hit her with a response that she never saw coming.
Despite the fact that they often risk their lives for the welfare of members of their community, many people still have a negative opinion about the work of police officers.
While working a tough 12-hour shift, Andre Owen, a Police Constablen, stopped for a quick lunch break. He hadn’t eaten in eight hours and didn’t even have time to go to the bathroom, as his day was very busy and he had a lot on his plate.
However, once he entered the restaurant and placed his order, a female customer gave him a dirty look. She then turned to him and made a comment because he was eating lunch while wearing his uniform.
He didn’t expect something like that to happen, but he didn’t want to respond. Once home, he felt the urge to share the unpleasant incident on Twitter and explain how his day was before he even found time to eat.
“To the lady that scorned me for buying food on duty,” the officer’s post began. “I’ve not stopped since 07:05 this morning, not even for [a] toilet break. I’m over 100 miles from my station and I’m due off in 45 mins…. with a two-hour journey at least!!!! #policearehumantoo,” he wrote, attaching a photo of the meal from the fast food chain to his tweet.
Within a short time, Owen’s post had gone viral.
This 25-year-old officer, who has worked with the Sussex Police for five years, received widely circulated messages of support.
It was 2 pm that day, and he was tired, hungry, and ready to finish his shift at 3 pm. Unfortunately, he still had a hundred-mile drive before he could reach the police station. A stack of paperwork was waiting for him to be completed before he could return home.
“Five minutes after starting my shift, I was assigned to a serious job in Brighton. I dealt with that and then had to drive nonstop to Oxford as part of the same job, single crewed,” he said. “Half an hour into the return journey, I stopped at a service station for my first toilet stop of the day! While there, I also got a double whopper meal, apple pie, Coke and a cappuccino.”
Of course, it was then that the stranger chose to make assumptions about the situation when she saw the officer in uniform. “A lady, eating her own food, kept staring at me while I waited,” Owen recalled. “I collected the food and as I left she said something similar to ‘while you’re in here stuffing your face, there’s criminals that need catching out there,’ I smiled, and just walked away without saying a word.”
But, his silence didn’t last long. “I put it on Twitter and the tweet gathered so much momentum with such positive support,” Owen explained, adding that the tweet wasn’t intended for sympathy, but to show the public the harsh reality of his job. What’s more, his long day didn’t end with the rude encounter.
The officer stated that his duty was then extended to 12 hours when he agreed to help a family with a broken down automobile.
He did not hesitate, even though it was past the end of his shift. Owen stopped and helped stop traffic and bring a couple and their children to safety. He finally finished his shift at 7 pm.
Cops are human too!
I believe many police officers can relate to PC Owen’s story, and we appreciate his hard work and devotion to keeping our community safe.
Although the hours are hard and unpleasant, most police officers enjoy their jobs. It takes a lot of dedication to put your life in danger for complete strangers, many of whom would hate the small infraction of taking a lunch break.
So the next time you see a cop grabbing a quick snack, smile instead of assuming. We don’t always know what he or she has been through or what is in store for them. Remember that cops are people too.
