The inaugural Fries with the Force was a nice surprise on Thursday.

About two dozen City of Manteca police officers along with city staff and elected leaders enjoyed snacking on the world-famous French fries inside the McDonald’s restaurant at 1226 W. Yosemite Ave. while meeting with members of the public.

“We’ve served up a lot fries today,” said McDonald’s employee Anastasia Retiz of the afternoon event.

According to Sgt. Steve Beermann, this was the first time local police officers had a chance to reach out to folks in the community for free eats inside the Golden Arches.

“We still do Coffee with Cops,” he said.

Police also had the option of sharing a McDonald’s ice cream cone for this event. But French fries, instead, was picked given the cold winter months, Beermann noted.

He added that some who stopped by inquired about the new red-light cameras at the nearby Union Road and West Yosemite Avenue intersection. “They wanted to know when that’s going to start up,” said Beermann.

The city’s first red-light camera is expected to be operational sometime this month.

Warnings will be issued for 30 days once the intersection cameras go online followed by tickets soon after.

Red-light cameras, in addition, are planned for the intersection of Daniels Street and Airport Way, followed by three more intersections around town.