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CA Starbucks Denies Service to Police Officers on Heels of 'Pig' Incident and String of Unfair Treatment

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Starbucks has issued multiple apologies this year for unfair treatment toward law enforcement officers. 

Most recently, the coffee giant apologized after two California police officers were refused service while in uniform.

The Riverside County Sheriff's Office tweeted that the "cop with no coffee" incident occurred at a Riverside Starbucks location on Dec. 12. 

According to a Facebook interview with Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, the incident occurred at a Riverside Starbucks while the deputies waited in line to be served.  

"Two of our deputies went into a Starbucks in Riverside and they were ignored for a long period of time 5-10 minutes or more. They tried to get served, they asked if anyone was going to help them, they were laughed at, they were completely ignored, obviously ignored to where other patrons knew they were being ignored. I am very very proud of them, they handled themselves well and they left. They went somewhere else," Bianco said.

Bianco doesn't believe Starbucks' apology is sufficient in this case.

"They are doing corporate damage control, they want to downplay what happened. They are very very adamant that Starbucks does not condone that type of behavior which I don't believe they do. But, do not downplay what happened and act like it was something other than what it was. Two of my deputies were completely ignored because they were in uniform and that's not acceptable."   
 
KABC-TV in Los Angeles reports that Starbucks apologized for the incident and is taking the "appropriate steps" to correct this type of behavior. 

"There is simply no excuse for how two Riverside deputies were ignored," said Starbucks spokesperson Reggie Borges. "We are deeply sorry and reached out to apologize directly to them."

This incident comes three weeks after police in Oklahoma received coffee with the word "Pig" written on the label.

KTUL-TV in Tulsa reports that a Kiefer police officer stopped by a Starbucks in Glenpool on Thanksgiving and bought five cups of coffee for the dispatchers. 

Kiefer Police Chief Johnny O'Mara complained to Starbucks about the senseless act which resulted in the dismissal of the employee who was responsible. 

"What irks me is the absolute and total disrespect for a police officer who, instead of being home with family and enjoying a meal and a football game, is patrolling his little town," O'Mara wrote in a Facebook post.

The coffee chain issued a statement apologizing for the "unacceptable" incident, assuring that employees will be better educated on how to be respectful.

The company wrote on its website, "Together with law enforcement agencies, Starbucks will jointly look for educational opportunities for our partners across the United States to promote better understanding and respect."

And this summer, a group of police officers in Arizona were asked to leave a Starbucks because a customer "did not feel safe" while they stood inside the store.

NPR reported that a Starbucks employee approached the six Tempe, AZ, police officers on July 4th and asked them to move out of the customer's view.

The Tempe Officers Association wrote on Facebook, "This treatment of public safety workers could not be more disheartening. While the barista was polite, making such a request at all was offensive. Unfortunately, such treatment has become all too common in 2019."

In another statement, Starbucks said, "What occurred in our store on July 4 is never the experience your officers or any customer should have, and at Starbucks, we are already taking the necessary steps to ensure this doesn't happen again in the future."

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About The Author

Andrea Morris
Andrea
Morris

Andrea Morris is a Features Producer for The 700 Club. She came to CBN in 2019 where she worked as a web producer in the news department for three years. Her passion was always to tell human interest stories that would touch the hearts of readers while connecting them with God. She transitioned into her new role with The 700 Club in August 2022.