Starbucks fires barista for writing 'PIG' on police officer's coffee order

Starbucks has fired an employee for writing "PIG" on a police officer's coffee order.

According to ABC News, a Kiefer, Oklahoma, police officer went to a Starbucks on Thanksgiving morning to purchase beverages for colleagues who were also working on the national holiday.

When the police officers received their orders, one of them discovered that the disparaging term was written on it, instead of the officer's name.

'This is what he gets for being nice'

Kiefer's Police Chief Johnny O'Mara shared an image of a cup in a Facebook post Thursday and explained the officer treated the town's 911 dispatchers to coffee as a way say "thank you for all they do."

"This is what he gets for being nice," O'Mara wrote in the post, reported USA Today.

"It's another tiny pinprick into the heart of men and women who are asking themselves more often: 'Why am I doing this?'" he wrote.

Starbucks responds

Starbucks issued a statement saying it will be working with the Kiefer Police Department to turn the "regrettable incident" into an "opportunity to leverage our shared platforms to promote greater civility."

In the coming days, Starbucks will be meeting with the Kiefer Police Department to begin discussing ways to work together, including a jointly hosted Coffee with a Cop event at Starbucks where local law enforcement can meet with baristas and members of the community to discuss the critical role dispatchers and police offers play in keeping our communities safe. Together with law enforcement agencies, Starbucks will jointly look for educational opportunities for our partners across the United States to promote better understanding and respect.

On Thursday, a Starbucks spokesperson described the incident as "absolutely unacceptable." Adding, "we are deeply sorry to the law enforcement officer who experienced this. We have also apologized directly to him and connected with the Chief of the Kiefer Police Department as well to express our remorse."

In addition, Starbucks noted that its employee who wrote the slur "used poor judgement and is no longer a partner after this violation of company policy."

"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," the Starbucks representative concluded.