Starbucks apologized to the Tempe, Ariz., police department after some of its officers were asked to leave from one of its shops on the Fourth of July following complaints from a customer who said they didn’t feel safe with cops present.
The coffee giant apologized for any “misunderstanding or inappropriate behavior that may have taken place” and said it has “deep respect for the Tempe Police Department.”
The company went further on Saturday, with Rossann Williams, executive vice president, president U.S. retail, writing to the Tempe Police Department: “On behalf of Starbucks, I want to sincerely apologize to you all for the experience that six of your officers had in our store on July 4. When those officers entered the store and a customer raised a concern over their presence, they should have been welcomed and treated with dignity and the utmost respect by our partners (employees). Instead they were made to feel unwelcome and disrespected, which is completely unacceptable.”
She added: “At Starbucks, we have deep appreciation for your department and the officers who serve the Tempe community. Our partners rely on your service and welcome your presence, which keeps our stores and the community a safe and welcoming place.”
Six officers had purchased their drinks prior to their July 4 shift and were standing together when a barista asked them to leave because a customer said they did not feel safe by their presence, the Tempe Officers Association posted to its Facebook account.
Read more at Fox News.
{Matzav.com}
if they wouldn’t have left, would starbucks have called 911…?
They felt unsafe – because they were probably illegal / doing something illegal.