GLENPOOL, Okla. — A now infamous Starbucks cup is making its way around the internet. It has the word "pig" typed on the order label.
Kiefer Police Department Chief Johnny O’mara says the cup was given to his on-duty officer when he picked up drinks for his dispatch office on Thanksgiving Day.
“He had gone to Starbucks because he wanted to do something nice for our dispatchers on Thanksgiving," O'mara said.
O’mara’s officer got the drinks from Starbucks in Glenpool, Oklahoma.
“He's a rather new officer," the chief said. "He hasn't quite understood that there's a lot of hatred for police."
The barista involved has been fired, according to a statement from Starbucks.
Jory Mendes, Starbucks' senior manager of communications, sent this statement to KJRH:
“This is absolutely unacceptable and we are deeply sorry to the law enforcement officer who experienced this. We have also apologized directly to him and we are working to connect with the police chief as well as to express our remorse. 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.”
O'mara says incidents like this fuel the distrust some officers might have when eating out.
“Every time we go out to eat, we have to worry that something's going to be done to our food, something's going to be done to our drinks," he said. "So, we go to places where we know the staff well or we can see the food being prepared."
O'mara says the Starbucks employee involved called them to apologize, and said it was supposed to be a joke only to be shared with a coworker.
This story was originally published by Sierra Pizarro on KJRH.