So, this is a rather awful story coming out of Newton, Kansas. A police officer and his fiancé decided to grab some food at the local Taco Bell. Upon receiving their order, they found the word “pig” written on their taco wrappers (via KAKE.com):
The couple called and spoke to a manager on duty."I was told I could bring the 5 tacos back and she would have them remade," the couple shared with us. "I advised her that we were both working and that wasn't an option. She then said she would leave a note to refund our money and get the food remade."
In an update to the original story, we now learn that the Taco Bell employee in question had been fired:
Jeff Graves, senior director of operations for Taco Bell, said the worker was let go from the job. The worker wrote “PIG” on to-go orders for the couple Saturday night in Newton.“We do not share the same belief or view as the employee whatsoever,” Graves said. “Our company, Taco Bell, has always been pro-law enforcement, military. We’ve always supported the police in our community. Many of our restaurants give police discounts when they come in and eat.”
[…]
We’ve of course apologized to him, all the Newton Police officers and, in fact, everyone in the community,” Graves said. “In fact, I’ve even met with the lieutenant with the Newton Police Department this morning, and we’re even going to plan a community event working with the Newton Police officers within the next week just to show our support for the officers and the community.”
Law enforcement has suffered a public relations nightmare for the past year. Officers themselves have been targeted, some times with fatal results. Yet, the vast majority of police officers who wear the uniform–and put their lives on the line to maintain law and order–are good people. They take up a job that comes with an enormous responsibility, and one that’s fraught with danger. It's not easy being a cop. Anyone with common sense knows this.
Yes, there are bad cops out there, and they need to be called out and held accountable. We’ve seen this happen in South Carolina in June and most recently in Cincinnati. Yet, if you want to express your anger towards this perceived lawlessness among the law enforcement community (though that’s a load of you know what), feel free to send a letter to the editor, organize a rally, or join a protest. It’s perfectly legal. Writing “pig” on a Taco Bell wrapper is cheap, ridiculous, and puerile.
All that was lost was the employee’s job and reputation for taking an unnecessary low blow to what appears to be a police officer that does the uniform and the profession proud.