I was a police officer for seven years and customer disputes were not uncommon. The article to me is just exagerating something that occurs every day with the police. I can name dozens of calls I was on far worse than that one. If I had to venture a guess I would say the employee probably wasn't that bright and probably misunderstood McDonalds policy on refunds. Talking to a manager probably could have resolved the entire situation, but some people honestly aren't capable of thinking for themselves in those situations. The woman that called 911 is a prime example. She, like many people I've met, was probably unaware of the non-emergency number or what constitutes an emergency. Usually the dispatcher receiving calls like that tried to handle it over the phone unless it was violent, and if they couldn't resolve the situation they would then usually try to have an officer handle it over the phone. If both of those options failed only then would an officer be dispatched (and usually that officer would just repeat the same information the people on the phone told the caller). Some people just think having a police officer present will magically resolve any situation and won't accept any advice if its not in person. Where I worked unless it was an honest to goodness prank call people were almost never ever charged for calling 911, regardless of how stupid the call was. I am not saying the officers were in the wrong for citing her though. The article is very vague in what actually transpired, so there could be many factors that led to them citing her.

I quit three year ago to become a computer admin, but I thank you just the same. Your service in the military deserves far more praise and thanks than I ever earned on the police though.