A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy ended a grueling 16-hour shift this week with something no officer expects: a cup of coffee handed to him with a crude hand-drawn pig scribbled on the side.
The incident, which happened on Jan. 9 at a Starbucks location in southern Los Angeles, is now sparking outrage across law-and-order circles — and renewed calls for accountability from corporations accused of allowing anti-police hostility to fester.
The deputy, whose name the department is keeping private for safety reasons, reportedly stopped for caffeine before heading home. Instead, the barista slid over a cup decorated with what the deputy described as “a cartoonish pig meant to insult me and every cop who puts on the badge.”
On his private Instagram page, the deputy wrote, “After a day serving the community, this felt discouraging and disrespectful. I wasn’t expecting a thank-you — just basic respect.”
Sheriff Robert Luna issued a blistering statement condemning the act as far more than a childish prank.
“This action was extremely offensive, inappropriate, and unacceptable,” Luna said. “Targeting law enforcement with this kind of disrespect will not be tolerated — not in this department, and not in this country.”
A LASD official familiar with the internal report added, “This wasn’t a mistake. This was deliberate. Deputies are already stretched thin. They don’t need to be publicly humiliated by someone pouring coffee.”
The slur “pig” has been weaponized against law enforcement since the radical protest movements of the 1960s. But departments nationwide have warned that anti-police hostility surged again over the last decade — particularly in major blue-leaning cities such as Los Angeles.
Under President Trump’s administration in 2026, federal law-and-order initiatives have emphasized protecting officers from harassment and encouraging stronger penalties for targeted intimidation of police personnel.
A former LAPD lieutenant who now works in police advocacy told us, “Incidents like this don’t happen in a vacuum. They reflect a culture that treats officers as villains instead of protectors. And that culture is getting people hurt.”
The sheriff’s department escalated the incident directly to Starbucks’ corporate security division. As of Monday, the company had not responded to requests for comment.
The silence frustrated some in law enforcement who point out this is not the company’s first controversy of this kind.
In 2019, an Oklahoma police officer received a Starbucks cup labeled “PIG” — a case that made national headlines. Starbucks fired the employee involved but insisted it did not reflect “company values.”
A retired sheriff told us, “If this keeps happening, it says something about the culture inside the company. One rogue employee is a mistake. Several over the years becomes a pattern.”
Online reactions were swift.
One X user wrote, “Fire the employee. Simple.” Another blasted Los Angeles leadership, saying, “This is what you get in lawless LA. Criminals first, cops last.”
Another commenter added, “If an officer did something like this to a civilian customer, there would be riots.”
Local reporter Cece Woods called out the company directly.
“Nothing says community values like mocking the people who keep the community safe,” she wrote.
The incident is now being cited in broader discussions about the treatment of police officers, especially in large Democrat-controlled cities where officials have struggled to reverse crime spikes.
A former federal law enforcement official under the Trump administration said, “This is exactly why restoring respect for law enforcement has been a key part of the President’s agenda. If you normalize mocking cops, you normalize attacking them.”
As the sheriff’s department continues its inquiry, Starbucks employees at the location may face disciplinary action — but frustrated officers across Los Angeles say they want more than apologies.
They want respect.
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The police should walk away from Los Angeles and move to a state that appreciates them. This officer should have spilled his coffee on the counter so the ungrateful employee could clean up the mess.
With Bass as the mayor and Newsom as governor, it’s no wonder this employee acted so immaturely. I think it’s time some politicians are charged with obstruction of justice.
Starbucks, overrated, overpriced, and legends in their own minds. They’re becoming nothing more than a gathering place for the progressive/socialist crowd.