Hawthorne, CA

Sergeant (Retired) Chris Cognac

Sergeant Chris Cognac has been a police officer with the Hawthorne Police Department since 1992. He is the main National Instructor for the Coffee with a Cop training class.

He was assigned to the Community Affairs Unit but has served in numerous capacities from uniform patrol to undercover narcotics supervisor. Cognac is a true believer in the ability of individual officers making a difference in the communities they serve. He uses his networking and communication skills as a force multiplier, putting people who want to help the community with those in need of an opportunity.

In his work to take the Coffee with a Cop program nationwide, Sergeant Cognac has assisted officers and police departments across the country in implementing their own events that aim to build good communications and trust within those communities. Cognac, is a graduate of the Delinquency Control Institute at the University of Southern California. in his spare time, he is a food and travel writer for magazines and newspapers and develops new food television concepts. He also hosted his own Food Network TV show, The Hungry Detective.

He recently served as a Fellow for the Office of Community Policing (COPS office) in Washington D.C. where he served as a subject matter expert for community policing development and law enforcement social media.

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