# AZ fast food restaurants to allow deputies to pose as window cashiers to catch drunk drivers **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 15, 2009, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/az-fast-food-restaurants-to-allow-deputies-to-pose-as-window-cashiers-to-catch-drunk-drivers/499793 "2009-06-15T02:12:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/az-fast-food-restaurants-to-allow-deputies-to-pose-as-window-cashiers-to-catch-drunk-drivers/499793/1 "2009-06-15T02:12:31Z")
[Story here](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,526243,00.html) > [@](#): > > The Pima County Sheriff’s Department has a new campaign targeting drunken driving. Operation Would U Like Fries, or Operation WULF, will put undercover deputies inside 24-hour fast-food restaurants to spot impaired drivers placing their orders. > > Sgt. Doug Hanna, a DUI unit supervisor, says if deputies notice someone with classic symptoms of impairment — slurred speech, red or watery eyes or beer breath — they will have a uniformed deputy stationed outside pull the driver over. I have to say the concept is pretty offensive. If I saw that a restaurant was hosting police in the window to check on me as I picked up my food I would cease all patronage of the restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/az-fast-food-restaurants-to-allow-deputies-to-pose-as-window-cashiers-to-catch-drunk-drivers/499793/2 "2009-06-15T02:27:31Z")
I don’t see what’s so offensive about this. Undercover cops are suddenly an invasion of your privacy when you’re in public? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/az-fast-food-restaurants-to-allow-deputies-to-pose-as-window-cashiers-to-catch-drunk-drivers/499793/3 "2009-06-15T02:34:31Z")
I think it’s a great idea. What’s offensive about it? A fast food restaurant is a public place, so there’s no privacy issue. If you’re not drinking and driving, you’ve got nothing to worry about. ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/az-fast-food-restaurants-to-allow-deputies-to-pose-as-window-cashiers-to-catch-drunk-drivers/499793/4 "2009-06-15T02:34:34Z")
I think it’s a great idea. When my wife worked late night drive-thrus years ago she was amazed at how many drunk drivers went through. I have no sympathy for them. They deserve to get caught. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/az-fast-food-restaurants-to-allow-deputies-to-pose-as-window-cashiers-to-catch-drunk-drivers/499793/5 "2009-06-15T02:37:49Z")
> [@astro](#): > > [Story here](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,526243,00.html) > > I have to say the concept is pretty offensive. If I saw that a restaurant was hosting police in the window to check on me as I picked up my food I would cease all patronage of the restaurant. How is this the least bit offensive? you should be going out of your way to go to the restaurants keeping drunk drivers of the street. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/az-fast-food-restaurants-to-allow-deputies-to-pose-as-window-cashiers-to-catch-drunk-drivers/499793/6 "2009-06-15T02:46:17Z")
> [@astro](#): > > If I saw that a restaurant was hosting police in the window to check on me as I picked up my food I would cease all patronage of the restaurant. Why? 'Cause you make a habit of drunk-driving to Wendy’s? If they’ve identified fast-food drive-throughs as a place with a high concentration of drunk drivers, then they should capitalize on that. Besides, it’s probably easier and safer to apprehend them while they’re waiting for a Whopper than while they’re weaving down Route 1. Yup. No sympathy for drunk drivers. Fuck 'em. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/az-fast-food-restaurants-to-allow-deputies-to-pose-as-window-cashiers-to-catch-drunk-drivers/499793/7 "2009-06-15T02:48:57Z")
I’m normally opposed to undercover police surveillance of people they don’t have warrants for and unimpressed by the “You’ve got nothing to hide, so why are you opposing this?” arguements, but this doesn’t bother me. I don’t think you have any reasonable expectation of privacy at a drive-through window. I mean, the deputy’s not going to see anything that the actual McWorker wouldn’t see anyway, so I really have no issue with it. ---
**Author:** ![EpicNonsense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@EpicNonsense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EpicNonsense)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/az-fast-food-restaurants-to-allow-deputies-to-pose-as-window-cashiers-to-catch-drunk-drivers/499793/8 "2009-06-15T03:02:07Z")
And you wonder why no one likes the police much? What next, they hang out in nightclub/strip club parking lots acting as valet/booth attendants? :rolleyes: I think there needs to be a line drawn somewhere… Having spotters hide within a private business, and undercover, is just a little far fetched.\ I thought that cops had to remain “visible” whenever they used their radar guns to check for people speeding? What would make this any different? I’m guessing that rule or law has since changed though… ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/az-fast-food-restaurants-to-allow-deputies-to-pose-as-window-cashiers-to-catch-drunk-drivers/499793/9 "2009-06-15T03:02:39Z")
I’m more offended by the lame attempt at making a cool acronym. ---
**Author:** ![bobthebuilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobthebuilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobthebuilder)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/az-fast-food-restaurants-to-allow-deputies-to-pose-as-window-cashiers-to-catch-drunk-drivers/499793/10 "2009-06-15T03:06:59Z")
I worked at a Mcdonalds outside of the city of Richmond, Va. I often worked the drivethrough and I would say I saw a person every day that had a beer in their hand. I would say once every other week I saw someone smoking weed as they drove through. Only once did I see someone doing both. we were open till one, this was always late at night. ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/az-fast-food-restaurants-to-allow-deputies-to-pose-as-window-cashiers-to-catch-drunk-drivers/499793/11 "2009-06-15T03:11:42Z")
> [@EpicNonsense](#): > > What next, they hang out in nightclub/strip club parking lots acting as valet/booth attendants? Several cops I know work plainclothes in bars and nightclubs all the time. This isn’t much different. ---
**Author:** ![panaccione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@panaccione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panaccione)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/az-fast-food-restaurants-to-allow-deputies-to-pose-as-window-cashiers-to-catch-drunk-drivers/499793/12 "2009-06-15T03:13:17Z")
I don’t get it. How the hell can this be considered undercover when there’s a news story about it??? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/az-fast-food-restaurants-to-allow-deputies-to-pose-as-window-cashiers-to-catch-drunk-drivers/499793/13 "2009-06-15T03:13:32Z")
Seems like a bit of overkill to me. All one has to do is sit outside of a Wendy’s (Or whatever) at 2am on a weekend night and pretty much take your pick of any driver in the pick up line. It’s like shooting fish in a barrell. My uncle (a Dallas cop) tells me the reason why he doesn’t sit outside of a bar at 2am (when the bars close) and start pick’n people off; is because: “That’s not good sportsmanship.” :rolleyes:😃 I’m not sure if he’s serious or pull’n my leg. ---
**Author:** ![EpicNonsense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@EpicNonsense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EpicNonsense)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/az-fast-food-restaurants-to-allow-deputies-to-pose-as-window-cashiers-to-catch-drunk-drivers/499793/14 "2009-06-15T03:15:37Z")
> [@HongKongFooey](#): > > Several cops I know work plainclothes in bars and nightclubs all the time. This isn’t much different. But what is there purpose at the time, and their position? Just curious.. > [@SHAKES](#): > > My uncle (a Dallas cop) tells me the reason why he doesn’t sit outside of a bar at 2am (when the bars close) and start pick’n people off; is because: “That’s not good sportsmanship.” :rolleyes:😃 > > I’m not sure if he’s serious or pull’n my leg. I agree. It’s pretty shallow. ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/az-fast-food-restaurants-to-allow-deputies-to-pose-as-window-cashiers-to-catch-drunk-drivers/499793/15 "2009-06-15T03:22:28Z")
> [@EpicNonsense](#): > > But what is there purpose at the time, and their position? Just curious.. Part of the street crime unit - that’s not the official title of their unit, I forget the actual acronym they have. Their role is mainly to curb violent crime in the downtown area as well as monitor the bars themselves for violations such as serving underage patrons. This particular city was getting a bad image because of assaults on tourists and a lot of media coverage of violent crime so this unit was created. ---
**Author:** ![EpicNonsense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c37758/32.png) [@EpicNonsense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EpicNonsense)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/az-fast-food-restaurants-to-allow-deputies-to-pose-as-window-cashiers-to-catch-drunk-drivers/499793/16 "2009-06-15T03:29:58Z")
> [@HongKongFooey](#): > > Part of the street crime unit - that’s not the official title of their unit, I forget the actual acronym they have. Their role is mainly to curb violent crime in the downtown area as well as monitor the bars themselves for violations such as serving underage patrons. This particular city was getting a bad image because of assaults on tourists and a lot of media coverage of violent crime so this unit was created. That’s about what I figured, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/az-fast-food-restaurants-to-allow-deputies-to-pose-as-window-cashiers-to-catch-drunk-drivers/499793/17 "2009-06-15T04:33:38Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > I’m normally opposed to undercover police surveillance of people they don’t have warrants for I’m not familiar with a legal requirement for a warrant for surveillance, as opposed to searches. Could you explain when a warrant is needed for surveillance? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/az-fast-food-restaurants-to-allow-deputies-to-pose-as-window-cashiers-to-catch-drunk-drivers/499793/18 "2009-06-15T14:07:53Z")
I vote for awesome. The only way it could be cooler is if they’d called it Operation I Can Has Cheezburger? ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/az-fast-food-restaurants-to-allow-deputies-to-pose-as-window-cashiers-to-catch-drunk-drivers/499793/19 "2009-06-15T14:48:21Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Could you explain when a warrant is needed for surveillance? When a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2009, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/az-fast-food-restaurants-to-allow-deputies-to-pose-as-window-cashiers-to-catch-drunk-drivers/499793/20 "2009-06-15T14:54:01Z")
> [@astro](#): > > I have to say the concept is pretty offensive. If I saw that a restaurant was hosting police in the window to check on me as I picked up my food I would cease all patronage of the restaurant. So do you also cease all use of the highways and streets where police do radar speed checks and set up drunk driver test stops? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/az-fast-food-restaurants-to-allow-deputies-to-pose-as-window-cashiers-to-catch-drunk-drivers/499793.md?page=2)