ORLANDO, Fla. (WESH)— A retired Ormond Beach police officer said he was unwelcome at Universal Studios in Orlando when he showed up with his girlfriend for Halloween Horror Nights and was told he couldn’t come in with the shirt he had on.
Retired Ormond Beach police Officer Vince Champion says he went to Universal Studios on Nov. 1 wearing a shirt that says on the front, “Retired Police Officer” along with the blue line in the flag.
Champion said he was stopped at security and told that he could not go into the park with anything that said “police officer” on it.
After an hour of going back and forth and working it up the chain, Champion said was allowed in the park.
Champion said there is no way an on-duty officer would be wearing his as a uniform, but that as a reserve officer, he would certainly help if there was trouble in the park.
A Universal spokesperson said in a statement that while they have tremendous respect for law enforcement, they don’t want guests or employees getting confused about who is and isn’t an on-duty law enforcement officer.
“We want our guests and team members to be able to easily identify active, working, law enforcement. We do not permit guests to wear clothing or items that could cause confusion,” the statement said.
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