A group of Tempe police officers were reportedly asked to move or leave a Starbucks coffee shop on the Fourth of July because a customer felt uncomfortable.

According to a tweet from the Tempe Officers Association, six Tempe Police Department officers were drinking coffee before their shift at the Starbucks near Scottsdale and McKellips roads when a barista told them a customer "did not feel safe" by their presence.

The barista allegedly asked the officers to move out of the customer's line of sight or to leave, the tweet states.

"This treatment of public safety workers could not be more disheartening. While the barista was polite, making such a request at all was offensive. Unfortunately, such treatment has become all too common in 2019," the organization wrote. "We know this is not a national policy at Starbucks Corporate and we look forward to working collaboratively with them on this important dialogue."

Reggie Borges, a spokesperson for Starbucks, said the company is still gathering details about the incident.

"We have a deep respect for the Tempe Police and their service to the community," he 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."

Borges declined to comment about any disciplinary actions.

Reach the reporter at chelsea.curtis@arizonarepublic.com or follow her on Twitter @curtis_chels.

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