One Houston Police Officer Has A Beef With Food Trucks

Houston, Texas

Joshua Martinez can usually be found dishing up dinner service from his bright, silver food truck called “The Modular.” It is a job he really seems to enjoy. However, a recent encounter with a Houston Police officer has him reconsidering his career choice.

During a recent dinner run, Martinez stopped the spoon after noticing police cruiser lights. That’s when an HPD officer approached the truck and told Martinez that The Modular was in violation.

Martinez told The Houston Press he was baffled. After all, he stated, "HPD has no jurisdiction over food trucks." The City of Houston's Health Department does, but that didn't deter the officer.

"He told me, 'You're supposed to move every 59 minutes. You're a mobile food truck,'" Martinez said, recalling the conversation 15 minutes after it happened last night. He spoke from the parking lot outside his food truck, which was parked on private property. "I showed him my licenses, explained that we are supposed to move every 24 hours and go back to our commissary."

His objections had no effect on the Houston Police officer. "He just kept saying, 'You're in violation. I can give you up to $6,000 in tickets.'" The staggering amount of the figure made Martinez freeze. "If I violated every health department violation there was, it wouldn't be $6,000!"

The officer asked for his ID. The officer remained agitated. Noticing that the officer’s badge and name tag were hidden beneath a reflective vest, Martinez asked the officer his name.

"'It doesn't matter what my name is, you're the one in violation.'" Martinez finally wrote down the license plate number of the HPD cruiser.

"You food trucks are a nuisance to the city," the officer reportedly said, before leaving without dispensing any tickets.

Joshua Martinez at work - Courtesy Facebook