GLENPOOL, Okla. (KTUL/CNN/WBTW) – An Oklahoma police chief is left with a bad taste in his mouth after one of his officers stopped by a Starbucks to pick up some coffee.
Kiefer Police Chief Johnny O’Mara says one of his officers went to get five cups of coffee for his dispatchers working on Thanksgiving. When the officer picked up his order, the cups were labeled “PIG”.
“That’s really, that’s really gut-wrenching,” O’Mara said. “Especially knowing that these cups were going to dispatchers. These people are there waiting for 911 calls to come in.”
O’Mara shared a photo of the cup to Facebook, and the post quickly blew up. He also called the Starbucks, and says the manager offered to reprint the cup labels if he brought them back.
“It’s not an earth shattering event, but it’s one more symptom of a society that is becoming contemptuous,” O’Mara said.
“This is absolutely unacceptable, and we are deeply sorry to the law enforcement officer who experienced this,” said Starbucks in a company statement. “We have also apologized directly to him and connected with the Chief of the Kiefer Police Department as well to express our remorse.”
As for O’Mara, it seems he and his officers won’t be stopping by the store again.
Starbucks says the employee who wrote on the cup has been suspended pending the outcome of a company investigation.
“This language is offensive to all law enforcement and is not representative of the deep appreciation we have for police officers who work tirelessly to keep our communities safe,” says Starbucks
“What I’d really like to say is, if you need us, we’re here, and we’re coming,” O’Mara said. “We’ll be there for you.”