The University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department received a strange, anonymous delivery of 20 dozen coconut doughnuts on Monday, the department posted on Facebook.
"We were confused. Nobody likes coconut doughnuts," public information officer Marc Lovicott wrote.
Two-hundred-forty doughnuts — every one of them covered in coconut — raised suspicions among officers, Lovicott later told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "It was bizarre. Was it an apology? Was someone trying to get back at us with the joke about cops and doughnuts ?"
Police quizzed the delivery driver from People's Bakery, who told them the doughnuts came directly from the bakery and that the bakery even had to order extra coconut to fill the order.
The driver gave them the name of the man who ordered them, and police recognized the "fairly unique" name as someone who had been ejected from Camp Randall last Saturday during the Wisconsin Badgers' 13-7 loss to the Northwestern Wildcats.
A total of 110 fans were ejected that day, including 50 for throwing snowballs and ice at each other and at the spirit squad. At the end of the game — after a controversial call negating a Badgers touchdown and the ultimate loss — referees had to duck their heads and race to a tunnel as they were pelted with snowballs.
The fan who sent the doughnuts wasn't throwing snow. But the tongue-in-cheek protest doughnuts were meant to send a message that he was unhappy with his treatment at Camp Randall.
Lovicott found the fan through LinkedIn and sent him an email, telling him cops aren't used to receiving gifts, and asking why he sent them. He also informed the fan that the doughnuts would be shared with a homeless shelter because "there's no way we'll be able to eat 240 doughnuts" with a staff of 130.
The man, whom Lovicott said is in his 30s, had flown in from Los Angeles to meet 12 friends from around the world for Saturday's game. His brother is a UW alum.
At the Camp Randall entrance, everyone else in his group was assigned to section P, but he was assigned to section K. He said he was unaware of the rule that requires fans to sit in the section to which they are assigned when they enter. The rule isn't posted at Camp Randall, but Lovicott said students are informed about it when they receive their season tickets.
The man originally had gone to his assigned section, but then attempted to enter section P.
"I was surrounded by multiple officers who had no interest in my situation or my intentions," he said in his email to Lovicott. "They explained that I could not enter section P and that I was to be immediately ejected and banned for the day."
He asked if he could watch the game from his assigned section. "I was promptly advised that this would not be an option and escorted out."
The man said he was respectful to officers and "did not appreciate that little respect was shown back."
"I'm sure the job jades you, but please remember that not everyone has nefarious intentions," he wrote.
In his email, the man said he strongly supports what UW-Madison police do, and realizes it must be a tough job policing college students.
"This was meant as a harmless way to both show general gratitude for the job you do (which is awesome) but slight disdain for my treatment Saturday (which was not so awesome)," he wrote to Lovicott.
"Doughnuts are awesome, but coconut doughnuts are not so awesome."
He also suggested they could mend relations over a handshake and a ride-along with police the next time he's in Madison.
Lovicott responded to the man that he was "really sorry" about his experience at Camp Randall, and promised to hook him up "with a ride along with one of our best" the next time he's in Madison.
"As you can imagine, our officers deal with all sorts of issues and people on game day — at all sorts of intoxication levels. And they're usually not the most fun to work with," Lovicott wrote. "Seating issues in the student section are always a challenge."
Lovicott told the Journal Sentinel he would have been upset, too, if it had happened to him. Sending $200 worth of coconut doughnuts was "brilliant," and something he wouldn't have thought to do, he said.
The doughnuts made their intended point, Lovicott said.
"Sometimes our officers get frustrated, especially in the student section on game day," Lovicott said. "But we sometimes need to take a step back. Not everything is clear-cut."
