Greenwich officer takes a turn as barista at ‘Coffee With a Cop’

By Greenwich Time
Original article HERE

<p>Greenwich Police Officer Keith Hirsch chats with locals at the Coffee with a Cop event.</p>Customers at the Starbucks coffee shop in Riverside did a double-take Wednesday morning when they stopped by for their morning fix of caffeine.

Greenwich Police Officer Dan Paladino was the barista, serving up lattes and iced coffees and wearing his blue uniform underneath the trademark green apron.

It was tough work, Paladino acknowledged during a break from his duties. It was part of the “Coffee With a Cop” program that encourages informal conversations with police officers.

“So far, no unhappy customers,” Paladino said of his handiwork behind the coffee counter, though he did place a coffee lid on wrong at one point. He was impressed by the work done by the other baristas.

“I don’t know how they make so many drinks, so fast — and not mess it up,” he said.

The most difficult order, made with a store manager looking over his shoulder, was a vente vanilla soy-latte. Despite serving up the drink orders, Paladino said he enjoyed interacting with the customers. “No speeches, just talk,” he said.

Greenwich police have been regularly meeting with the public at fast-food restaurants and coffees shops since 2015, as part of its community-outreach program. Wednesday’s event was part of a national “Coffee With a Cop” dialogue between citizens and law-enforcement around the country.

“Good turnout,” said Officer Justin Rivera. “It’s a great opportunity to meet with the community, to talk about whatever is on their mind.”

Rivera said many residents have questions for police officers but held off approaching them while they are on patrol. Events like the meetup at Starbucks give them a chance to get those questions asked.

“It brings us closer to the community, and a lot of topics come up,” he said.

Sam Romeo said he was pleased to see events like the one at the local Starbucks, a sponsor of the program that offered free coffee and pastries for the event.

“The better educated the community is about law enforcement, the better,” said Romeo, a town housing official, “It shows how we can work together for the common cause, and it shows the public cops are human, too.”