When questions about a VNI investigation against Hooters and one of its waitresses first surfaced, The Gazette requested, among other things, all photographic material in the case.
The Colorado Springs Police Department complied, providing two grainy black-and-white photos taken by detectives during their undercover sting June 23.
Since the photos were difficult to make out, the newspaper requested color copies, which the department provided today.
The photos were used to support the charges against the restaurant and waitress Illysa Medina, who were accused of serving a visibly intoxicated patron. Those charges have since been dismissed.
One of the photos shows Medina’s backside as she’s standing next to the man who was allegedly intoxicated.
The other photos shows the allegedly intoxicated man about to take a drink of what appears to be beer.
That photo also shows what appears to be half-empty glasses of beer on the table where the detectives were sitting.
CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO GET A CLOSER LOOK.
More on the case:
In June, two detectives with the Metro Vice, Narcotics and Intelligence Division went to Hooters at The Citadel mall to conduct an undercover sting with an underage confidential informant. Even though Hooters didn’t serve alcohol to the minor, the detectives sat down at a table with their informant and ordered lunch and beer.
According to police reports, the detectives said they witnessed a Hooters waitress serve a visibly intoxicated patron, which violates the liquor code. One of the detectives also said he reported seeing the patron stagger and use table chairs for balance when he walked by their table.
The detectives, through the City Attorney’s Office, brought a case against Hooters and the waitress for serving a visibly intoxicated patron. But both cases were dismissed after Hooters produced a surveillance videotape that called the detective’s assertions into question.
Last week, Mayor Steve Bach called for an investigation of VNI.
It’s comforting CSPD is keeping an eye on things.
Now I’d like you to ask the cops how these two photos supposedly prove that the waitress served a visibly intoxicated customer.
According to another article the police reported that this customer was staggering–leaning on table and chairs?
In this picture the customer looks to be coherent–looking up at the waitress and capable of handling his glass of beer. In these pictures the customer does not look intoxicated to me.
So why would you think the two glasses at the detectives’ table contained beer? Could be anything. I wouldn’t want you as a witness in a court case.
Most important part of this article, Medina is looking good in the required Hooters Uniform!
Still your first article about hooters Chacon?…..keep kicking the dead horse until something else falls in your lap and you can sensationalize it.
I click on an article that says “pictures of Hooters undercover bust” and all I see is two dofuses drinking; I feel gyped.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSsJ2UZ8eQo
Jeff39, restaurants like Hooters use different types of cups for alcoholic beverages than for water and soda. The glasses at Hooters are what beer is served in, and they use plastic cups for non-alcoholic stuff. That’s why it’s easy to see these officers ordered beers. Plus, the fact that they admitted they’d been drinking and the drinks are on their tab…
Notice how the Chief of police refused to investigate the case against his own.
These cops are dirty as hell, they said they were not drinking, they were. They said the person was stumbling, he was not.
Thank god hooters had cameras installed to protect themselves from the police department.
I still don’t know why these guys have to drink on the job to bust bars. It is against the law for them to smoke pot, snort coke and mainline heroin when busting dealers.
It must be a great job to cruise eat and drink all day on the taxpayers dime at three bars, hit a few liquor stores with a minor before getting off of work to go out to get a beer.
while people were being shot to death around town and
paralyzed by 9mm , and cops have no clue
Gotta love it, this is the crap cops investigate? How do they justify the time involved? “Oh we have reports this hooters is serving underage people from a CI” and that doesn’t happen then they see the “visibly intoxicated” man get served some more alcohol so they switch their focus?
This isn’ t a sting operation, its a lunch out hoping someone makes a mistake so they can push more stupid criminal charges into the courts.
You have to love the headline: Undercover Hooter’s Bust. I HOPE they keep their busts undercover.
As usual , no pictures of a hooter’s bust . Please reprise your headline to read accurately.
were the cops armed? It is against the law in Colorado to be under the influence of alchahol and carry a firearm.
Also, the pictures are probably screen/frame captures from a video with sound…get the video with sound!
I love the title of this article: “Pictures from UnderCover Hooters Bust revealed”. LOL Nice play on words Gazette. Or maybe it is my dirty mind playing tricks again.
Oh my gawd, yes, these two photos clearly crack the case wide open! And good job GZ for blowing the cover of two undercover police officers.
Thugs in blue once more.
Pigs
Great that the cops also drank on the job, ordering and drinking beers while working with a minor who was supposed to try to get served. Also, the video produced by Hooters showed the “visably drunk” customer walk out the door without staggering or leaning on chairs. Clearly the cops fabricated the story. If you own a restaurant, beware or install video cameras so you can refute the Springs Cops. They try to run the town like the Gestapo of old. Without having to really prove anything they can put a person or a company on the wrong side of the law on a whim. Again, shame on springs police. More of the same. Maybe they should keep their own in line and away from children, that would be a start.
chugiakattack,
The two men in the photos are patrons, not the undercover officers. The man on the right is the patron that police said was visibly intoxicated.
jeff39,
gumbii2662 got it right.
Not only does the video show the officers drinking beer, but according to Hooters, those are the only types of glasses used to serve beer.
Wendy,
As you know, this is not the first story about the Hooters investigation. Rest assured, it will not be the last.
Quick question for you: Do you work at VNI or are you in any way associated with the division? I’m struggling to understand why you are so opposed to stories and/or blog posts about the Hooters investigation.
Have a nice day.
The only people against investigating dirty vice cops getting caught lying and falsifying charges on video tape in order to shakedown a business and a private person is the cops themselves, their families and the chief of police putting his own job on the line to protect the dirty thugs.
THANK GOD we have cameras and a mayor to protect us from the dirty cops at the CSPD.
I would be interested in knowing:
A) How many times since their original opening, have the police been called to Hooters for any type disturbance,
B) What is the average lic fees, permit costs, and sales taxes has this firm contributed,
C) The average number of full or part time employees,
D) And – - the response of the city council person in which this business is located?
“Hooters Bust” is redundant.
Everyone , take a good look , remember what these so called cops look like , cat’s out of the bag. By the way , those are LARGE beers they’re sucking down. They need to find better things to do , like sweeping parking lots.
Paul,
The men in the photos are patrons, NOT the undercover detectives.
Two detectives, one not even a city cop, assigned to do liquor enforcement. The argument that while they are doing liquor enforcement real crime is occuring is ridiculous. How would having the one city cop not doing liquor enforcement reduce other crimes?
WHY in the world is this even on the Gazzette website?? The charges were dismissed! What is the freakin point? To show a picture of awaitress’s backside??
Good job on the excellent news reporting!
The cops out here in the springs are dirty cops! I’m from calif, and it’s not like this with cops out there…they have nothing better to do than hang at Hooters on the clock, and see who they can pin stupid stuff on…really?
Yeah, California is known for no dirty cops. Two detectives (one from county one from city) to do liquor enforcement in a city of 416,000 people. It’s not like they get to pick and choose what establishment they go to. Maybe they should use gay or women cops to check the hooters and strip bars that serve alcohol and everyone would be happy?
Bottom line…sting operations like this are entrapment. Our Democratic government should never allow this type of communist policy. This is a free society which should police itself and if allowed usually does well. Big respect to the men in blue and anyone serving the public interest but when we go out of our way to penalize, punish and yes even incarcirate hard working citizens of our country through a wrongful undercover sting operation in a harmless establishment like Hooters…well then…I think we are stepping over a lot of constitutional rights…where have those endowed rights gone since our forefathers established them! RESPONSIBILITY…that word means alot…if you are an AMERICAN citizen legally…then BE that RESPONSIBLE person. We don’t need the LAW and the ENFORCERS of the law to step over the individual rights we inherited from our forefathers CONSTITIUTION we were born under…BACK OFF…Life is tough enough right now…we don’t need the gestapo messing with us too. Revolution of the people in AMERICA isn’t a fantasy anymore with actions like this…it has reached a possibility.
I know for a fact how they work, We went to court to dispute the (intoxicated person) charge they threw on our workplace, First off they had admitted that they did not even write the ticket until 2 weeks after they had been to my work, Second, They messed up the time they were there, they were in fact at another bar at the time, third it took them over a month to send the ticket in the mail so we could not in fact go back on our cameras to show that they were drinking themselves.
We luckily keep a log book and write down everything that does not seem (normal) to us. While we were in court even the board were saying how this entire VNI needed to be revamped because they can not prove the visible intoxication, they themselves do not video or audio to record the (visibly intoxicated person) Also to add insult to injury they had to admit that they copy and paste from other investigations onto the the reports that they file, So where does fairness and truth lie? It is sad that the people who are there to protect you are using OUR tax dollars to go and have a good time, They drink on the job and get into vehicles that we pay for. We should be mad, mad at the fact for a city who is always complaining about money should be looking at this VNI situation and revamp it and use it wisely and make sure businesses are following the law not their rules which they create along the way……
Looks like another good police work ? Where is the drunk patron. These cops ned to do a real job and now worry about someone drinking what a wast of the tax payers money for a public servant
What should alarm every concerned citizen is that you or I could be the next target of investigation; those who would surrender rights to achieve security deserve neither.
Tell your elected representatives if you are concerned with the course our Police Department has chosen to “protect and serve”.
Release their names! Bad cops, beer and donunts don’t mix.
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