September 25, 2019

Kannapolis residents engage over ‘Coffee with a Cop’

By Adam Thompson, Independent Tribune
Original article HERE

Some police officers took their coffee hot, while others drank it iced, or had what was described as “foo-foo drinks.”

However, Wednesday morning wasn’t about the coffee as much as it was about conversation and community engagement.

Dozens of Kannapolis police officers met at Editions Coffee and Bookstore to connect with its residents for “Coffee with a Cop.”

“Coffee with a Cop” in Kannapolis started last year.

“I think anytime that we can make that connection with the people in the community, it improves that relationship that we are constantly trying to strive for,” Deputy Chief Terry Clanton said.

Throughout the year, local coffee shops will invite the Kannapolis Police Department to stop by for a cup of coffee and to mingle.

Kannapolis police officers gathered for coffee at Starbucks in the Afton Ridge neighborhood last month, but this time they were invited to Editions, a local coffee shop on S. Main Street near downtown Kannapolis.

“It’s just nice to get to know people and they get to know us,” Kannapolis Police Chief Woody Chavis said. “When you can put a face with a name, it just builds relationships. We really love it because in a lot of cases, the only time we talk to people is when they are in a bad situation. We like it when we can just sit and have fun with them.”

Officers enjoyed a cup of coffee with citizens of Kannapolis, joked around with them and answered any question asked to them.

The Kannapolis Police Department prides itself on having a safe community because of the community support and outreach to the public.

“We are one of the safest communities in the area and that comes from the community support,” said Kannapolis Police Capt. Terry Spry. “We are engaging in the community, just as much as they are with us. They realize that not only are we invested in their well-being and safety, they are invested in us. It’s amazing to me the number of times we are out eating lunch and people pick up the bill and things like that.”

Kannapolis police officers say that the best way for a safe community is to break down the barriers and attend events where they can interact with the public in a casual situation.

“We are very fortunate here in Kannapolis because there are so many good people here,” Chavis said. “They want to talk with us too. In this day and age, if you can break down barriers and meet people on an even level, it helps us because we need the people to help us and we need them to support us. There’s no better way to do that than to get to know them. I just really enjoy this type of thing.”

Kannapolis police officers say that police often get a bad rap nationally, but their main focus is to keep the community safe and free of crime.

“There are times when people don’t like us, and that’s an unfortunate part of the job, but people just don’t like to get a ticket. Well, slow down,” Spry said. “There’s reasoning behind it. We are not here to be the bad guys, but I think having community dialogue has helped with our crime rate. It’s helped with our outreach in other areas and community involvement.”

Spry added that meeting community members over coffee is a great way to show that police officers are just like the general public and are approachable.

“Just because we are wearing a uniform, there’s and expectation and we are held to a higher standard, but we are also very approachable,” Spry said. “We are human beings just like anyone else. We bleed, we cry and we have sad tears and happy tears just like anyone else. That being said, if someone has a legitimate question, but they don’t feel comfortable coming to the police department or picking up the phone, this is a good open dialogue.”