Photo by T Golden.

Earlier this month, we reported on a dustup between food trucks and U.S. Park Police officers in Farragut Square which resulted in several vendors around the park being temporarily shut down and threatened with arrest until the Metropolitan Police Department got involved. Well, it sounds like the Park Police was at it again yesterday, hassling the District of Pi pizza truck as it served around noon outside the Square.

Christopher Kelling, Director of Hospitality and Development for Pi Restaurants, which operates the truck, shared his version of events with us:

We were approached by a USPP officer who asked if we had a permit to vend at the square – I told him I wasn’t aware that we needed one, and he said we did and then asked for a vendors license and drivers license, asked if there were any ‘wants or warrants’ and informed us he would return with a $50 citation. I then saw him walk across the square and approach the Sauça truck, where I assume he asked the same of them, and then proceeded to his squad car. Roughly 15 minutes later, he came back across the square, apologized and told us we were all clear and that no one had informed him before then that trucks are now allowed in the square.

We were at Farragut a few weeks ago after a run at Franklin and saw the exact same thing happen, except that day, the USPP actually kicked some trucks out before they went around to remaining trucks to say the issue had been cleared up and trucks were free to operate at Farragut as long as they remained on the perimeter (as if trucks could actually park in the park).

A source with the District’s Department of Consumer and Regulatory affairs confirms Kelling’s version of events — and his story reaffirms the rules: that the curb and street where the trucks set up shop, as city property, are not privy to Park Police jurisdiction. (As far as we can tell, a similar incident involving the TaKorean truck yesterday near Metro Center was unrelated.) Witnesses to the attempted shakedown tell DCist that the interrogation by Park Police officers didn’t interrupt service too much, but it’s still not entirely clear why the USPP continues to go after truck operators when they have no authority to actually do anything but hold up the lunch line.

“I didn’t think to ask why the officer was patrolling the square or if anyone had complained,” Kelling told DCist. “But it seemed to me that there’s not a lot of communication down at the USPP headquarters.”

A phone call to the U.S. Park Police requesting comment on the matter has not been returned.