Van Nuys Fast Food Signs Urge Customers To 'Support Our LAPD'
VAN NUYS (CBSLA.com) — A string of fast food restaurants in the San Fernando Valley are voicing their support for LAPD officers amid recent public outcry over officer-involved shootings.
KNX 1070's Pete Demetriou reports four McDonald's locations in Van Nuys have the phrase "Support Our LAPD" under the Golden Arches.
The restaurants along Sherman Way between the 405 and 170 freeways have been running the signs for about 18 months - long before protests broke out over the Ezell Ford shooting last summer or the Police Commission's ruling earlier this week - according to area McDonald's supervisor Dan Chalfont.
But despite the current political climate, Chalfont said the signs were never intended to be meant as a politicized response to recent events concerning the LAPD and its officers.
"They're supported by our tax dollars, and the more we can support them with our energy, I think the more they feel secure and they feel supported by the neighborhood," said Chalfont.
Activists and police officers have grown increasingly concerned about the outcome of the Ezell Ford investigation following the Police Commission's ruling that one officer acted improperly during the arrest.
Craig Lally, president of the L.A. Police Protective League, says the Police Commission verdict in the Ford shooting death case is already causing some officers to shy away from some crime prevention tactics, such as observational stops.
But for at least one customer at a McDonald's location in Van Nuys, the formula is simple.
"They support us, support them," he said. "That's it."
