Nope, disagree. There is a difference. If an OC'er was in the restaurant and a minor disturbance broke out, you, as an OCer can do very little nor are you obligated to, it's not your job. However, an LEO has to maintain the peace and intervene, and make an arrest if necessary, it's our job, not yours. You have no arrest authority, you are not an LEO, therefore you are different. It does not make you less of a citizen, that's not what I mean but there is a difference.
Non-sequitur arguments.
A minor disturbance breaks out and on OCer can do very little? He can do what anybody else can do, help the manager break it up or break it up himself. It doesn't take a cop to break up a minor disturbance. A cop is better equipped if it escalates. About the only thing a cop can do different is write the citation or arrest if the disturbers won't leave/knock it off. I've broken up stuff myself. Not every minor disturbance requires a cop. If it did, bouncers wouldn't have jobs. And, if it comes to it, I can swear out the warrant for the misdemeanor arrest or felony if it comes down to it.
I don't know about your state, but citizens got arrest authority for felonies in mine. Its not statutory. Its common law. Very old. And, while I think of it, your state as an original English colony has a common law tradition, too.
And, none of this has anything to do with police captain getting, as Hale put it, butt hurt that they got treated the same as anybody else. Says something about his expectation and attitude, don't it? "We expect to be treated different." Notice, the police captain didn't say, "Well, we're mad because we used to be allowed in there, but they changed the rules." No. He banned all his cops.
Even the ones who would have been allowed under the misunderstood policy.
And, so far, none of your differences justify a
police expectation that cops should be allowed special privileges. You're owed a paycheck. And, a thank you if the cop is one of those genuinely honest peace officers with a deep respect for rights. Nothing else.
