You want fries with that strip search?

[octagon]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFXeXK3szOk&eurl=

From wikipedia:

"The Strip Search Prank Call Scam was a series of incidents occurring for roughly a decade before 2004. These incidents involved a man calling a restaurant, claiming to be a police detective, and convincing managers to conduct strip-searches of female employees. Reports of over 70 such occurrences in 30 U.S. states finally led to the arrest and charging of David R. Stewart, a 37-year-old Florida corrections officer.

On October 31, 2006, Stewart was acquitted of all charges stemming from that arrest, including impersonating a police officer, soliciting sodomy and soliciting sexual abuse. The incident for which he was charged took place at a Louisville, Kentucky-area McDonald's in 2004. This is the only such incident in which Stewart has been prosecuted
There are dozens of incidents believed to have been perpetrated by the same caller. Some notable cases include:

A call to a McDonald's restaurant in Hinesville, Georgia resulted in a janitor performing a body cavity search on a 19-year old cashier.
A 17-year-old customer at a Taco Bell in Phoenix, Arizona was strip-searched by a manager receiving this kind of prank call.

Mount Washington, Kentucky incident
The final prank call in this scheme was made to a McDonald's restaurant in Mount Washington, Kentucky on April 9, 2004. According to assistant manager Donna Summers, the caller identified himself as a policeman, 'Officer Scott', he described an employee whom he said was suspected of stealing a customer's purse. Summers called 18-year-old employee Louise Ogborn to her office and told her of the suspicion. Following the instructions of the caller, Summers ordered Ogborn first to empty her pockets, and finally to remove all her clothing except for an apron, in an effort to find the stolen items. Again following the caller's instructions, Summers had another employee watch Ogborn when she had to leave the office to check the restaurant. The first employee she asked to do so refused, so she phoned her fiance Walter Nix, asking him to come in to 'help' with the situation.

According to Ogborn, after Summers passed off the phone to Nix, he continued to do as the caller told, even as the caller's requests became progressively more bizarre. A security camera recorded Nix forcing Ogborn to remove her apron, the only article of clothing she was still wearing, and to assume revealing positions. The tape showed that Summers re-entered the office several times and dismissed her pleas for help, a statement which Summers denies.

When another employee was asked to take part and objected, Summers decided to call the store manager, whom the caller claimed to have on another phone line. She then discovered that the store manager had not spoken to any police officers, and that the call had been a hoax. A quick-thinking employee dialed *69 to determine that the caller had called from a supermarket pay phone in Panama City, Florida. Summers then called police, who arrested Nix and began an investigation to find the caller.


Investigation and aftermath
Mt. Washington police quickly realized that this was only the latest in a long line of similar incidents. They contacted police in Panama City, who managed to track down the calling card used to make the call, and video of the transaction at the Wal-Mart where it was purchased. The buyer in the video was wearing a correctional officer's uniform, and queries to the correctional department led to the identification of the buyer as David Stewart. After his arrest, Stewart was extradited to Kentucky to face charges of impersonating a police officer, and solicitation of sodomy.

During his interrogation, Stewart insisted he'd never bought a calling card, but detectives found one in his house that had been used to call nine restaurants in the past year, including a Burger King in Idaho Falls, on the day its manager was reportedly duped. Police also found dozens of applications for police department jobs, hundreds of police magazines, police-type uniforms, guns and holsters, indicating that being or becoming a police officer was possibly a fantasy of the suspect.[3] Nevertheless, a jury found Stewart not guilty.

The victim, Louise Ogborn, is suing McDonald's for $200 million for failing to protect her during her ordeal.[5] The civil trial is scheduled to begin Monday, September 10, 2007. The victim is represented by well known Louisville attorney, Ann B. Oldfather[1].


Questions about the scam
Many people who hear of these incidents wonder how someone could convince a victim to do these acts. In the ABC News report on the Kentucky incident, psychologist Jeff Gardere said that the caller probably enjoyed manipulating people into doing whatever he wanted, no matter how outlandish. He also notes that the caller was careful to select fast-food restaurants, which tend to have a "by the book" management style, because such an approach makes management less likely to know how to handle novel situations such as those the caller created.

Several social psychological principles could shed light on these situations. First, individuals have a tendency to obey authority figures. As shown in the Milgram obedience studies, most individuals will harm another under direction of what they feel is a legitimate authority, even if doing so is extremely stressful or unpleasant to them. They will surrender their personal responsibility to the authority figure, becoming like a puppet.[6] By using police jargon, speaking in an authoritative manner, and dropping names of other significant authority figures (the local police chief, the restaurant's general manager), the caller created the impression of being a legitimate authority. Secondly, the gradual escalation of demands has been shown to be very effective in obtaining compliance. This is referred to as the "Foot-in-the-door effect". Individuals seem to consider the reasonableness of a request based on what they have already done, rather than on a more objective standard.[7] By beginning with seemingly reasonable requests, such as taking the victim aside and searching their personal belongings, the caller was able to work his way up to unimaginable transgressions, such as sexual assault. In the Mount Washington incident, it was only when another employee who had not been part of the escalating demands was brought in that the wrongfulness of the situation became apparent."

[wayang]

Yipes...sounds like 37-year-old Florida corrections officer David R. Stewart took the "Have it your way at Burger King" jingle a little too literally...

[brammy]

Well, at least we now know what the LONGEST post has ever been!

David R. Stewart must have an amazingly persuasive way about him. Either that or maybe it could be that the average Joe on the street is an ignoramus. Probably a bit of both. If only he could use his talents for good instead of evil.

[wayang]

You've just explained the reasons for the Rise Of The Third Reich, Kent...

[elysrand]

This is why the US is a "democratic" constitutional republic and NOT a democracy. The vast majority of "the people" are not capable of competently ruling themselves.

[brammy]

He'd have made a great door-to-door salesman.

[wayang]

You're right, Elys...if the crowd's too big to see who's got their hand up at the back of the room, "democracy" won't work.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of "the people" are not capable of competently choosing decent rulers, either...they tend to follow the ones with 'an amazingly persuasive way about them'...

[wayang]

Power corrupts...power that wears an apron, a paper hat and an "Assistant Manager" badge corrupts absolutely...

[lyle_from_minneapolis]

Mobs are always cruel and stupid. This is why the Constitution is a very good thing. Beware of those who seek constitutional amendments.

Ooo, my thread drift pills are kicking in.

[wayang]

Crowds can be kind and smart, if they avoid listening to the wrong people. Sometimes we have to beware of those who seek to reverse constitutional amendments...and sometimes those who seek not to...it's tricky being an informed citizenry.

Ooo, I'm gettin' a contact drift offa you, Lyle...

[shamustwin]

[johnallg]

"Either that or maybe it could be that the average Joe on the street is an ignoramus."

Until this past Sunday, I would have denied that statement. But my wife and I were forced to eat fast food because all the restaurants in the tourist town we were in at Lake Michigan had closed or were super busy (both). We chose Taco Bell and the guy waiting on us (est. mid 30s) had a very hard time ringing up our two orders on a icon-driven register. He also screwed up the order before ours, and also the order after ours - could have been more but that's all the time we were there. I walked out feeling really sorry for him that he was that challenged to make sense of ringing up a couple tacos and a burrito or two.

As I watched Mitch's linked video, all I could think was who could be that naive and stupid to do such outrageous things asked over the phone, then I remembered my Sunday encounter and knew my answer.

[wayang]

In my ranking of 'American Experiences', being 'forced' to eat fast food is only a few steps above being 'forced' to serve it.

[johnallg]

It was Tack Bell or else Checker Burgers, McDonalds, Arbys, or Wendys. Since the two restaurants that were open had overflowing parking lots, and we were over an hour from our home city, and we were both starving as it was 8 hours since a light lunch, we were forced to make a decision.

Dane, it is so comforting to know you have life all figured out, even everyone elses.

[wayang]

Easy now, John...if I had life all figured out, I doubt I'd still be sitting at a computer...

I just found your use of the word 'forced' a bit ironic in the context of this thread.