Public invited to get to know Metro officers over coffee

By Ricardo Torres-Cortez, Las Vegas Sun
Original article HERE

ImageOutside of a traffic stop or some other official police business, officers and the people they serve often don’t get the chance to meet and get to know one another.

Before he joined the force, Metro Police Sgt. Joshua Younger’s only real interaction with law enforcement was when his car was stolen in high school — not the perfect introduction.

So Wednesday morning, Younger and several fellow officers got together at the Egg and I restaurant on Sahara Avenue trying to change that over a cup of joe and some relaxed conversation with anybody who wanted to chat. It’s part of a community outreach program called Coffee with a Cop.

Las Vegas resident Ed Keith heard about the event on TV and wanted to meet the officers, he said. So the 75-year-old retiree, who inquired about a volunteer program with Metro, sat down and had breakfast with a couple of officers.

“I’ve always wanted to do that,” he said. “They’re so friendly…It’s really a worthwhile thing for the community.”

Before leaving, Keith thanked the officers for their service to the community. “They have a big job,” he said.

A tourist from Texas also stopped by and asked about Nevada’s gun laws before the conversation shifted to some talk about his vacation and his home state with an officer who happened to be a native Texan.

Younger said his substation organizes other community events at least once a quarter, in addition to First Tuesday neighborhood meetings held at different substations each month.