Local law enforcement officials chat with residents at local restaurant

By Deb Gau, Marshall Independent
Original article HERE

The morning crowd looked a little different at the Hy-Vee Market Grille on Wednesday. There were area residents sitting down to breakfast and a cup of coffee, but there were almost as many uniformed police officers as civilians in the room.

Nothing was wrong, though — members of the Marshall Police Department and the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office were taking part in National Coffee with A Cop Day. As part of the event, law enforcement officers gathered at Hy-Vee to say hello to residents, answer questions and enjoy some conversation.

“The overall goal is to build relationships,” as well as having transparency in local policing, said Jim Marshall, director of public safety in Marshall.

The event was a surprise for some members of the public.

“I just walked in for breakfast,” said Paul Swedzinski. But Swedzinski ended up chatting with Marshall police officer Adam Baumann over coffee while he waited for his food.

On the other hand, a few residents like young Jaden Coil came prepared for the event. Coil was in costume as a SWAT team member as he said hello to Marshall police officers, and posed for a photo with a few. Then, officer Sara VanLeeuwe took him to meet a few more of her colleagues who were having coffee.

“This is pretty cool,” said Jaden’s mom Jessica Coil. They were getting to know who their local police officers were, she said.

The national Coffee with A Cop program was created in California in 2011, as a way for law enforcement officers and citizens to get to know each other in a casual atmosphere. Wednesday was the first time Marshall area law enforcement took part in the national day, but Jim Marshall said local police have been holding similar events at the Marshall Adult Community Center.

Marshall said he has worked with Heather Radke at the Adult Community Center, to organize informal talks with him and other local officers.

“We had been doing a few throughout the year,” Marshall said of the events. They would do presentations on different topics in law enforcement, and answer people’s questions. “We just wanted people to have a chance to meet with us.”

The talks drew audiences of 30 or 40 people, Marshall said.

“We thought if we continued with this, we’d like to branch out to other places as well,” he said. Coffee with A Cop Day offered just such a chance. Marshall asked Hy-Vee about hosting the event on Wednesday, and invited MPD officers, Sheriff Eric Wallen and officers from the Sheriff’s department to take part.

Marshall said he hoped to continue having community events like Coffee with A Cop, and the talks at the Adult Community Center. An upcoming event at the Adult Community Center is planned in November, said center coordinator Barb Lipinski.