Crime & Safety

Police Officer Suspended: Said to Have Shown His Badge in an Off-Duty Dispute

Police chief says: After a bar cut off the drinks for a table, an officer there disputed the matter with management and showed his badge.

A town police officer showed his badge to the manager at the Funny Bone Comedy Club & Restaurant when he was disputing a decision to cut off drinks at his table, and that appeared threatening both to the bar manager and Manchester police, who suspended the officer, according to a Hartford Courant report.

Here’s a summary of the account, which cited Police Chief Marc Montminy for the information:

Michael Williams, an officer with the department since 2008, was at the establishment, located on Buckland Hills Drive, on Nov. 21 last year when workers at the bar decided some people at a particular table were already intoxicated. No further drinks were allowed at that table, which led to an objection from the officer, who spoke with the bar manager.

Find out what's happening in Manchesterfor free with the latest updates from Patch.

During that discussion, the officer showed his badge to the manager, who thought there was some kind of implicit threat involved in doing that. Bar management complained to Manchester police, who conducted an internal investigation. Montminy said he agreed with management, and he personally went to the bar to apologize. The officer was suspended for five days in February.

Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.