Several police officers were reportedly asked to leave an Arizona Starbucks on Independence Day after a customer complained their presence meant she "didn't feel safe".
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The Tempe Officers Association issued an angry tweet in the aftermath, with a parody "Dump Starbucks" logo.
"Don't appreciate Starbucks asking our Tempe cops to leave your establishment on the 4th of July. Several of those cops are veterans who fought for this country!" it read.
The association says that six officers were drinking coffee when an employee approached them.
"The barista asked the officers to move out of the customer's line of sight or to leave. Disappointed, the officers did in fact leave," it tweeted.
"This treatment of public safety workers could not be more disheartening. While the barista was polite, making such a request at all was offensive."
Speaking to the Arizona Republic, a spokesperson for Starbucks said they were investigating the incident.
"We have a deep respect for the Tempe Police and their service to the community," they said.
"We've reached out to the Tempe Police Department and Tempe Officers Association to better understand what happened and apologize.
"We want everyone in our stores to feel welcomed and the incident described is not indicative of what we want any of our customers to feel in our stores."
Newshub.
