Starbucks Says Sorry For Asking 6 Police Officers to Leave Arizona Store

Starbucks has issued a public apology over an incident that involved police officers. The coffee company apologized to officers with the Tempe Police Department in Arizona, who claimed they were asked to leave a Starbucks store.

In a statement released on July 5, the Tempe Officers Association said that on July 4, six officers went to a Starbucks store in Arizona to enjoy some coffee, but the group was approached by a barista who informed them that their presence made one of the customers feel unsafe.

The association said the barista then asked the officers to move out of the customer’s line of sight or leave the store. The officers eventually left the store “disappointed.”

"This treatment of public safety workers could not be more disheartening. While the barista was polite, making such a request at all was offensive," the statement reads. "Unfortunately, such treatment has become all too common in 2019."

In a statement released on July 7, Rossann Williams, the executive vice president and president U.S. Retail of Stabucks, said she had already spoken with the police chief and apologized for the incident. Williams also said the coffee company is taking the necessary steps to ensure that the incident will not happen again in the future.

“What occurred in our store on July 4 is never the experience your officers or any customer should have.” Williams said.

In a statement posted on Twitter, the association criticized Starbucks for asking cops to leave the establishment on the 4th of July. It added that some of those cops happened to be veterans who fought for the country.

The association also released an altered graphic of Starbucks on Facebook and Twitter. The image showed a hand pouring out coffee with text that reads "Dump Starbucks.” The hashtag #DumpStarbucks also surfaced on social media sites.

The graphic has since been deleted from the Facebook page of the Tempe Officers Association, but is still on Twitter.

On Sunday, the Tempe Officers Association thanked the public for their support and expressed hope that the incident would pave way for dialogue between police officers and the communities that they serve and protect.