Warwick Police Department holds fifth ‘Coffee with a Cop’

By Roger Gavan, The Warwick Advertiser
Original article HERE

Town of Warwick Justice Nancy DeAngelo brought muffins and members of the Bruderhof Bellvale Community arrived with cookies.

On Saturday, April 29, the Warwick Police Department held its fifth “Coffee with a Cop” event, the first one for this year.

The casual event was held at Derosa’s Deli in Merchant Square, located at 42 Ronald Reagan Blvd., just off Kings Highway. And the owners, Mark and Roz Kennedy, provided the free coffee.

Mark Kennedy’s son, by the way, is a police officer.

“Coffee with a Cop” was designed to be an opportunity for police and local citizens to get together in an informal setting to discuss community issues.

On a national level, the mission of “Coffee with a Cop” is to break down the barriers between police officers and the citizens they serve.

Taking time to meet at neutral locations provides the opportunity for real conversations about issues that matter.

On Saturday, local residents had an opportunity to sit down with officers, enjoy the refreshments and ask questions or share what’s on their mind.

And in a short time, citizens and police officers get to know each other and discover mutual goals for the community they live in and serve.

This is the third consecutive year that the Warwick Police Department has participated in “Coffee with a Cop.” Several retired police officers and local officials were also on hand.

“We are happy to get ideas from the public about their concerns,” said Chief Thomas McGovern Jr.

To learn more about Coffee with a Cop, call Lt. John Rader at 986-5000.