Dunkin' Donuts Employee's 'We Don't Serve Cops Here' Comment Ignites National Firestorm

With police under scrutiny across the nation, a firestorm erupted when a Dunkin’ Donuts employee shouted to a West Hartford, Conn. Police officer that “we don’t serve cops here” in front of a packed house.

The incident underscored the growing tension between some members of the community and police in the wake of several high-profile cases of police shootings and brutality against minorities and also cases of officers being gunned down.

While the West Hartford police chief met with Dunkin’ Donuts franchise officials Monday morning to smooth things over locally, things continued to percolate nationally as Greta Van Susteren featured the incident in a segment on her “On the Record” show on Fox News Monday night.

Van Susteren called on Dunkin’ Donuts CEO Nigel Travis to issue an order that any police officer that shows up at any Dunkin’ Donuts from coast-to-coast on Oct. 6 gets a free coffee and donut.

She also said that Dunkin’ Donuts owes police officers a “big, big apology.”

Locally, the manager did apologize to the officer and offered him a free coffee but he declined and said he would go to another store.

It all started at about 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 3 when the police officer was waiting at the back of the line to buy a cup of coffee at the busy store at 1234 Farmington Ave. when the employee looked over at the officer and loudly said “he didn’t get the message, we don’t serve cops here,” according to a police report.

The officer responded by saying nothing and walked out of the store.

As he returned to his police cruiser, the officer was approached by the manager of the Dunkin’ Donuts and the employee who made the comment.

The employee apologized and told the officer that she was only joking.

The officer told the employee that instead of apologizing to him, she should apologize to the people in the store who appeared to take offense to her comment, according to the report.

The employee then returned to the store with the officer and apologized to the patrons.

When the news broke of the incident over the weekend, the community responded overwhelming in support of the officer and the department on social media.

Many called on Dunkin’ Donuts to fire the employee and others called for a boycott of Dunkin’ Donuts.

West Hartford Police Chief Tracey G. Gove and Assistant Chief Daniel Copping met with Dunkin’ Donuts officials on Monday morning to discuss the situation.

Both sides emerged from Monday’s meeting with a mutual respect for each other.

Gove issued a statement after the meeting, thanking the community “for the overwhelming support shown to our officer and agency over the past two days.”

Gove also said that he’s “proud of the way our officer handled this situation and I am grateful to Dunkin Donuts for its prompt response.”

“Though I am troubled by the fact that the statement was made, I believe the quick apology by the employee, manager and the President was the proper way to handle the matter,” Gove said. “This situation is an important reminder that we all need to be conscious and aware of the words we use. Just as we hope the public will not judge all police officers by an individual’s error, I believe we must extend the same degree of respect to Dunkin and its employees who go to work every day to make ends meet.”

Pictured: Connecticut State Police tweeted the above photo Sunday in response to a Dunkin’ Donuts employee shouting “We don’t serve cops here” to a West Hartford police officer. State Police wrote, “Despite the actions of 1, we know our friends @DunkinDonuts support us.”