Fla. officer fired for demanding free coffee

[johnnymk]

http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/84-07182008-1564696.html

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - An internal affairs report says a Daytona Beach police officer demanded free coffee and tea from a Starbucks and threatened employees with slower emergency response times if they refused.

Lt. Major Garvin, a 15-year veteran, was fired July 8. According to the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Chief Mike Chitwood says Garvin recently failed a polygraph test that he insisted on taking.

The coffeehouse's employees claim that since June 2007, Garvin had visited the store as many as six times a night while on duty. Besides demanding free drinks, workers complained that Garvin also cut in front of paying customers.

A telephone listing for Garvin could not be found.

[ShawnLee]

Freakin' type of guy making all cops look bad.

[ArkiStan]

I'm glad the appropriate action was taken against this dude. Free coffee is what you demand to your ol' buddy Manny at the corner deli, not freakin hourly wage workers at starbucks. lol.

[Maarchk]

Wow that's crazy. I thought that was like mafia protection stuff that has faded away.
I wonder how prevalent it is in the nation.

[VTGreg]

I'm glad the appropriate action was taken against this dude. Free coffee is what you demand to your ol' buddy Manny at the corner deli, not freakin hourly wage workers at starbucks. lol.

Sounds like the guy was a real piece of work and I'm glad the local PD took the appropriate action. That's definitely a perk that many police officers and fire figthers receive but it isn't something that should be demanded. I hope they would have suspended/fired him even if he hadn't attached the slower emergency response times comment with the demand.

[Thesifer]

Hehe, what if he really never did it, and the guys at Starbucks just didn't like the guy? I mean, just failing a polygraph doesn't make someone guilty.

But again, he probably did it, and if he did, he deserved to get fired.

Just saying, there could always be another side to the story.

[Maarchk]

Hehe, what if he really never did it, and the guys at Starbucks just didn't like the guy? I mean, just failing a polygraph doesn't make someone guilty.

But again, he probably did it, and if he did, he deserved to get fired.

Just saying, there could always be another side to the story.

That would suck if they were out to get him. but how would you ever know? What could you do? Video tape the guy?
Also, I think if you were to make the story up, you wouldn't say he came in 6 times a night. Maybe once so you could have just a few employees verify. I imagine it took the entire shift and maybe even their manager to verify 6 visits in an evening. That seems like too many witnesses to be a cover up...

But stranger things have happened...

[The Happy Squirrel]

with stuff like this it is probally prevelant in that area and they needed to make an example of someone
good!!! there are a few things in life that i ahve no tolerance for and bullies are one of them!!!
fire his ass loser he should get charged with a crime, every cup of coffe they gave him, he stole, he initimataded someone who was weaker then him and took what he wanted he not only should lose his job he belongs in jail

[Thesifer]

I just find it odd that someone would "Demand" it , when most places I've seen, they offer it free to Officers in Uniform.

[mojo]

i'm ok after 1 starbucks coffee a day. i could possibly do 2. but 6? he should seek help.

[uncledaddy]

Freakin' type of guy making all cops look bad.

:stupid: What a tool. Every officer I know refuses most free offers when in uniform, except that occasional free refill of regular coffee from a 7-11. They just simply prefer to pay like the rest.

[DarkFury]

I just find it odd that someone would "Demand" it , when most places I've seen, they offer it free to Officers in Uniform.
6 times a night? C'mon... that's a bit much.

[cheapie]

when i worked at mcd we used to give cops and EMS workers free food. until the EMS folks started calling in these huge orders and having someone pick them up and not wanting to pay for them. then...no more free food for them. but we still hooked up the cops.

we did that at subway as well. in fact, it helped me out one time. i was on the way home from work at about 1am and i got pulled over for going 10-15 over in a 45mph zone. the cop was handing me the ticket and about to walk away when he said, "hey...where do you work?" i told him i worked at subway. he said, "sorry. i didn't recognize you." then he tore up the ticket and told me to drive carefully.

:woohoo:

[Nija]

Those of us at my work (who work a similar Graveyard schedule as me) could easily drink 6 cups of coffee. Of course, most people here have two full times jobs.. :shifty:

I usually drink 1 large Monster energy drink and 1 soda, with a large amount of water throughout the night.

[DarkFury]

Those of us at my work (who work a similar Graveyard schedule as me) could easily drink 6 cups of coffee. Of course, most people here have two full times jobs.. :shifty:

I usually drink 1 large Monster energy drink and 1 soda, with a large amount of water throughout the night.
Drinkin' 6 cups of coffee is not unusual, but asking for 6 free cups of Starbucks coffee is pretty much "using the system".

That called "mooching" where I come from.

[mojo]

when i worked at mcd we used to give cops and EMS workers free food. until the EMS folks started calling in these huge orders and having someone pick them up and not wanting to pay for them. then...no more free food for them. but we still hooked up the cops.

we did that at subway as well. in fact, it helped me out one time. i was on the way home from work at about 1am and i got pulled over for going 10-15 over in a 45mph zone. the cop was handing me the ticket and about to walk away when he said, "hey...where do you work?" i told him i worked at subway. he said, "sorry. i didn't recognize you." then he tore up the ticket and told me to drive carefully.

:woohoo:
sweet :thumb:

[Thesifer]

Drinkin' 6 cups of coffee is not unusual, but asking for 6 free cups of Starbucks coffee is pretty much "using the system".

That called "mooching" where I come from.

Yeah, I don't know. Still sounds like a weird story to me. 6 Cups of Starbucks is a large amount. But I guess it probably was him, but I still wouldn't be surprised to find out later on that it didn't happen.

[VTGreg]

Yeah, I don't know. Still sounds like a weird story to me. 6 Cups of Starbucks is a large amount. But I guess it probably was him, but I still wouldn't be surprised to find out later on that it didn't happen.

I know a number of people that drink coffee all day long while at their jobs. If you ride around in your call all day it wouldn't be all that odd to hit the same place for coffee a number of times.

[DarkFury]

I know a number of people that drink coffee all day long while at their jobs. If you ride around in your call all day it wouldn't be all that odd to hit the same place for coffee a number of times.
That's fine too... but to expect it to be FREE plus butting in line of paying customers at that.

That takes some nerve... He coulda at least paid for some of those if he like the coffee there THAT much (or swing by some other cafe on his "route" to spread the love. :D )


They should have just cut him off... Would he not patrol there if they did? (at least that is what is alleged)