LA County deputy given Starbucks coffee cup with drawing of pig at Norwalk store

A Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputy was allegedly given a cup that had a hand-drawn picture of a pig on it at a Starbucks coffee shop in Norwalk last week, according to department officials.  

It happened on Friday when the deputy stopped to get coffee, according to a news release from LASD. It says that the deputy was deliberately given the cup with the pig drawing, "which is commonly used to demean law enforcement."

"This action was extremely offensive, inappropriate, and unacceptable," the release said. "The deputy quickly reported the incident to the store manager, who advised that the matter would be investigated."

Sheriff Robert Luna contacted a person with the company's corporate security division to formally raise concerns upon learning of the incident, according to the release. He also spoke with the deputy who was given the cup to check on his well-being and offer his full support. 

"Our deputies serve this community with professionalism, dedication, and commitment, often under difficult and dangerous circumstances," the LASD release said. "Our deputies are part of the community and deserve to be treated respectfully and with basic human dignity. Acts that promote hostility and division toward law enforcement undermine community trust and public safety."

In a statement to CBS LA, a spokesperson for Starbucks said the company has launched an investigation into the matter and has reached out to the customer and leaders in the sheriff's department several times to apologize. 

"We have a deep appreciation and respect for law enforcement, who are dedicated to keeping our communities safe," the spokesperson said. "The drawing, a popular meme with no connection to law enforcement, was never intended to be delivered to any customer — and it should not have been."   

The Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, a police union for LASD deputies, shared a statement from their President Richard Pippin on their social media pages, where they reported that the coffee shop was a Starbucks. 

"We hope this was an isolated incident and not reflective of the community values upon which Starbucks was founded, and that it is addressed appropriately and with a sincere apology to the community," their statement said.