LA County Sheriff’s Department expresses concern after deputy is served coffee in cup with pig drawing at Starbucks

A sheriff’s deputy was served a cup of coffee bearing a hand-drawn image of a pig at a Norwalk coffee shop on Friday, Jan. 9, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported Sunday.

The image of a pig is commonly used to demean law enforcement, according to an LASD statement. A Starbucks employee drew the pig on a paper cup, said Richard Pippins, president of the Association for Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, in a statement.

The deputy reported the incident to the store manager, who said he would investigate the matter, the Sheriff’s Department said.

Upon learning about the incident, Sheriff Robert Luna contacted a person in the coffee company’s corporate security division to formally raise his concern.

“This action was extremely offensive, inappropriate and unacceptable,” the LASD statement said. “Acts that promote hostility and division toward law enforcement undermine community trust and public safety.”

Pippins called for Starbucks to address the issue and apologize to the community.

“This behavior, we are sure,” Pippins said, “falls short of the standard of respect and customer service that should be shown to ANY Starbucks customer and member of our diverse LA County community.”

Starbucks did not immediately respond to a request for comment.