Serena O'Sullivan | The Republic | azcentral.com

Tempe Police Department hopes a situation where a Starbucks barista asked officers to leave a store on Fourth of July was "an isolated incident," according to a statement.

In a statement tweeted Saturday, Tempe Police Department said they hope this was simply an isolated incident between one community member and a single employee, instead of reflecting on Starbucks as a whole.

A Starbucks executive vice president, Rossann Williams, issued an apology to the police department Saturday evening after speaking with Tempe Police Chief Sylvia Moir.

"On behalf of Starbucks, I want to sincerely apologize to you all for the experience that six of your officers had in our store on July 4," Williams said in her statement.

She explained the officers should have been "welcomed and treated with dignity and the utmost respect by our partners (employees)." She said the way they were treated was "completely unacceptable."

"We look forward to continuing to strengthen our relationship with you, and we agree that the experience of your officers requires an important dialogue – one that we are committed to being part of," she said.

Williams said she would be in Tempe on Saturday night and willing to meet with the department to address concerns or questions.

On Thursday, a customer reportedly felt unsafe when six Tempe police officers chose to drink coffee at Starbucks before their Fourth of July shift.

A tweet Friday from the Tempe Officers Association said that a barista at the Starbucks, who knew one of the policemen by name because he was a regular, asked the officers to either move out of the customer's sight or leave.

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Although the barista was polite, the officers were disappointed at the treatment they received at the Starbucks near Scottsdale and McKellips Road.

"This treatment of public safety workers could not be more disheartening," the police organization said in the tweet, adding that the request was offensive.

Earlier, Starbucks spokesman Reggie Borges had said the company was looking into why the incident happened. He wouldn't comment on whether the barista would be disciplined.

The Tempe Officers Association said that treatment like this is "all too common" in 2019.

Still, the Tempe Police Department says it will continue to reduce harm within its community.

"Police officers make great sacrifices to keep their communities safe during holidays, such as the Fourth of July, so others can enjoy the day with their family and friends," the department said.