A simple box of doughnuts for a Smyrna cop tapped into a national debate about race and police overnight and through Thursday.
When the officer received an order from the Krispy Kreme on South Cobb Drive Wednesday the phrase "Black Lives Matter" was written on the box.
“While it is clear this behavior was egregious in nature, Krispy Kreme did take responsibility for the incident,” Louis Defense, Smyrna Police Department spokesman, said in a statement.
The department said it received a letter from the North Carolina-based corporation apologizing for the incident.
The pro-police blog Blue Lives Matter first posted a photo of the box, condemning the action along with the Black Lives Matter movement.
“For those who are not aware, this is extremely disrespectful to law enforcement,” read the blog.
Krispy Kreme staff at the store met with Smyrna police to hash out the issue.
“We moved quickly to investigate the matter and take appropriate action,” said corporate spokeswoman Sarah Roof. “ As a company, we value both our customers and employees and respect all viewpoints. The experience did not live up to these high standards we set for ourselves.”
She said the company will use this opportunity to “train the staff at all of our U.S. shops to reinforce mutual respect between employees and customers.”
Krispy Kreme said its policy is to not disclose the specific actions taken in disciplinary investigations.
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