Chatham County Police host first Coffee With a Cop event

By Brittini Ray, Savannah Now
Original article HERE

Citizens of Chatham County got the chance to grab a cup of java and chat with those sworn to protect and serve the community during the Chatham County Police Department’s first Coffee With a Cop event on Saturday.

“Our main goal is to build those relationships with the citizens,” said Capt. Daniel Flood. “We don’t want the public to only associate police officers with bad times. We want them to look at us and say ‘Hey that’s Capt. Flood.’ We teach our officers that to build relationships it’s gonna take getting out the car and talking to residents. And if we can catch that on the front end, we can clear up a lot of problems on the back end.”

The purpose of the event was to showcase another side to law enforcement, according to county police spokeswoman Betsy Nolen.

“This is an opportunity for community members to get to know members of our police force, ask questions, and express any concerns they might have,” Nolen said.

From 9 a.m. to noon, civilians streamed in and out of Glo’s Coffee Corner on King George Boulevard to meet the people behind the badge. It’s been six months since the county police department was formed at the demerger of the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan police department. The department, which is charged with policing the unincorporated areas of Chatham County, officially began operations on Feb. 2 after Savannah-Chatham police split into separate city and county forces.

“I think this is great,” said Georgetown resident Jane Brown. “We got to meet with the officers and talk about a neighborhood watch. And now we know that they are here to listen to our concerns. I think this is the start for a great relationship.”

Officials hope to host another meet and greet with officers next month, according to Flood.