Posted on 07/17/2008 8:49:47 AM PDT by Huntress
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- A police lieutenant in Daytona Beach was fired over accusations that he threatened slower emergency response times if he was not given complimentary specialty Starbucks coffee drinks.
An internal police investigation found that Daytona Lt. Major Garvin received free coffee for about two years from a city Starbucks coffee store.
However, when recently denied free coffee from new management, Garvin allegedly told managers that he could change the police department's response time if they refuse to give him complimentary drinks.
Garvin is accused of saying, "If something happens, either we can respond really fast or we could respond really slow. I've been coming here for years and I've been getting whatever I want. I'm the difference between you getting a two-minute response time, if you needed a little help, or a 15 minutes response time."
However, when confronted about the comments, police said Garvin agreed to take a polygraph test.
When asked whether or not he threatened managers with adverse response times, Garvin responded, "no."
But polygraph test results suggested that the officer was lying, Local 6's Tarik Minor reported. Garvin was then fired.
Starbucks employees said Garvin visited the Starbucks store six times a day during his shifts and intimidated some workers during visits.
"I want somebody protecting my streets who is honest and trustworthy," Starbucks customer Adam Cuddy said. "So, if he is going to fail a polygraph, whether it is about coffee or anything, I don't know how comfortable I feel as a citizen being protected."
The investigation also revealed that Garvin requested the complimentary coffee even when he was not on duty.
Garvin was hired by the department in 1993.
Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.
Perks! HAH! I don’t who y’are, that’s just funny...
I thought polygraph test results weren’t legally grounds for anything in court.
No, I think the Starbucks manager was series :)
This is nothing compared to what he probably told Dunkin Donuts..
And a cheap bastard with severely impaired judgment. “Living on the arm” is one thing, but a Lt. blowing his career for a cappuccino...what an idiot. Makes me think there's more to this than just coffee, and failing the polygraph gave his department the opportunity it needed to dump a major walking liability; quick and clean.
Just another example of institutionalized extortion under cover of Police authority. Years ago when I worked at a restaurant, even retired police officers would insist upon and receive free meals. When a new manager came along and put a stop to it, he was intimidated, threatened and even had his tires cut.
They help the high school sports teams to win so they are given the benefit of the doubt or second chances when it comes to behavior and grades, boys will be boys, etc.
They graduate and find that the aggressive nature and burley build that served them so well in high school has very little practical uses in the real world other than to land them in jail or on a construction site.
So they become cops and continue doing what they have always done, threaten, intimidate and bully their way to get what they want. I am not surprised in the least.
And yes, I think there are good cops out there, but the bad ones tend to force the good ones in to early retirement.
The idiot agreeing to take the lie detector magic divining hocus-pocus test is the fool.
Thank the Lord we don’t have to rely on Police thugs for protection in this Republic.
I’m sure the new management could have afforded a free cup.
Isn’t 6 cups a day at Starbucks near $30? I’ve never had the stuff so I don’t know but I’ve been told it’s a habit-forming brew.
When I ran a lodging establishment, we always provided free copy for late night cops... it’s nice to have them close by... whatever the reason.
True, it’s pretty stupid to agree to take one of those, besides, they don’t really work.
Could be that much since one report I read said he liked the fancy coffees. 30 dollars a day, and he came in on off days too, is a 10800 dollar a year loss in revenue to the location.
Exactly. Every cop that knows of a bad cop and hasn't turned him in is, himself, a bad cop.
I swear that sometimes I'd rather live in a banana republic where I could get justice by paying off the local lawman.
At least I'd be getting my money's worth.
Doh!
sheesh all the dumbazz’s move to florida. its not what it used to be down here lol.
“Where were all the other cops all this time?”
They were at the donut shop getting their free donuts.
Ut oh. I smell a racism charge coming on.
In a way this shows how great Starbucks coffee is. The cop so loved it he risked his job to drink it many times a day. Too bad he didn’t want to pay for it and was abusive when it was no longer gratis.
We have a diner chain here in Milwaukee that often lets cops have free coffee. Considering the dangerous neighborhoods many are located in, having cops stop by is a good idea.
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