At Coffee with a Cop, one officer gets an interesting question

By Dana Rieck, Belleville News-Democrat
Original article HERE

For 6-year-old Julius Alexander Mata-Pliego, Tuesday night’s Coffee with a Cop in Belleville was an opportunity to ask some hard-hitting questions and snag a sweet snack with Belleville’s men and women in blue.

The Wolf Branch Elementary School kindergartner spoke with Officer Beth Ferry extensively about a concern he had regarding the president’s well being.

“If somebody killed the president and the body guards and his sons and no one could call 911 … like that,” he said, recounting his conversation with Ferry.

He said Ferry reassured him there were plenty of police near the president for situations like that.

“A lot of young kids like to do scenario questions,” Ferry said later. “You don’t want to get to graphic with your answers. … But the most-asked question we get is usually ‘Have you shot someone?’”

Mata-Pliego’s father, Juan Pedor Mata-Pliego, said he brought his son to the event because Julius wanted to drink coffee and eat donuts with the cops — simple as that.

Belleville residents and longtime friends Nuri Rivera and Arlene Wojda were two of about 10 event attendees. They think these events are great for the community to really understand who their police officers are and what they do.

“We are learning quite a bit,” Rivera said. “It’s interesting to know that the cops are on it — not like people think that they’re not. It’s a community so we have to work together.”

Rivera noted the officers answered their questions very truthfully so that the women felt like they really knew what they were doing out in the community every day.

“It’s always good for the community, being together,” Wojda added.

The first Coffee with a Cop in January drew an audience of about 65 people.