San Diego Police Department officers were photographed dining maskless inside a cafe in La Jolla this morning, despite a countywide ban on any onsite dining.
At around 8am on Thursday, December 10, San Diego police officers were photographed dining and talking inside Cafe Vahik in La Jolla, although a complete ban on onsite consumption at all county restaurants went into effect this past Monday, December 7 as part of a new stay-at-home order. We reached out to the San Diego Police Department's Public Information Officer for comment and was sent the below statement.
"We appreciate this photograph being brought to the attention of the department," wrote San Diego Police Department Lieutenant Shawn Takeuchi. "It is unfortunate several of our officers decided to gather in a coffee shop this morning. The officers should not have been eating inside the business which is a violation of the current County Health Order. We understand the seriousness of COVID-19 and that we all must do our part to prevent the spread of the disease. We have begun an investigation into this situation."
An investigation has been opened and will include all of the officers who were at the cafe. The officers have a right to due process. At the conclusion of the investigation, if it is found officers were in violation, they will be disciplined.
This is a developing story. We will update this article as we learn more.
