Getting to know officers via ‘Coffee With a Cop’

By Allen Mincey, Cleveland Daily Banner
Original article HERE

VISITING MCDONALD’S on 25th Street during “Coffee with a Cop” were, from left:. Capt. Robert Harbison; McDonald’s Jerquana Toney (first shift manager) and Jennifer Tiegs (manager); Capt. Stacy Smith, and Chief Mark Gibson.

Getting to know the police officers and deputies in the community, and put faces to the names, was the purpose of Wednesday’s “Coffee with a Cop.”

Three of the local McDonald’s restaurants served as sites for the event: at the North Lee Highway restaurant, at the restaurant on 25th Street, and the restaurant at Exit 20 on APD 40.

“It was great, and gave the community the chance to meet with those men and women who do such a good job in their professions,” said Mark Smith, owner/operator of the three McDonald’s.

“It is always great to show our appreciation to these officers. We are a blessed community to have the Cleveland Police Department and Bradley County Sheriff’s (Office) here,” he added.

The local residents who met with the officers expressed their thanks for the jobs they do also.

“They do a good job, and it makes me proud when I see them at the restaurant,” said James Earl Murphy, who works at Jenkins’ Deli on APD 40.

Cleveland Police Chief Mark Gibson said he appreciates Smith and the McDonald’s staffs for being so kind as to allow “Coffee with a Cop” to meet the public at their restaurants. Though small numbers of individuals attended the event, he said they were all complimentary of the two law enforcement agencies.

“I think that this is something we can do every year to allow the public to know about what we do,” Gibson said. The department, the BCSO and other emergency responders hold informational sessions throughout the year, but this helped these officers be even more in the public eye.

“Thank you to McDonald’s for allowing us to meet with our community during the ‘Coffee with a Cop,’” said Sheriff Eric Watson. “It is a wonderful opportunity for them to meet us, and us to get to know them.”

This was the second straight year that the two law enforcement agencies were involved in the “Coffee with a Cop,” and Smith said he hopes to host the officers again next year.