Police reach out in Acton and Boxborough

By Matt Mallio, Wicked Local Acton
Original article HERE

If you’re going to serve a community, it’s important to get to know the community and its residents. And the Acton and Boxborough police departments, whether its community events like Winterfest, open house events like National Night Out, or casual meetings like “Coffee with a Cop,” are working to do just that.

Boxborough Chief of Police Warren Ryder likens it to being a business with clients and customers.

“We have to constantly be receiving feedback from our customers,” said Ryder.

“We are accountable to the citizens of Acton,” said Acton Deputy Police Chief James Cogan. “And we want to do our part in any way we can to make life better for the citizens.”

Coffee with a Cop

One of the ways police are reaching out is a program called “Coffee with a Cop.” According to Coffee with a Cop’s website, the nonprofit began in Hawthorne, California, in 2011, when Hawthorne officers wanted to improve community relations by meeting, informally, with citizens over a cup of coffee. Now, according to website, there are Coffee with a Cop events in all 50 states and 15 countries.

Acton Police just wrapped up such an event at Donelan’s in Acton, and according to Cogan, it was well-attended and officers got to speak to citizens about what they expect from their officers.

“It was very positive,” Cogan said, noting that the department tries to schedule multiple such events, because officers enjoy the opportunity to get out and interact with the community.

Boxborough also held an event on National Coffee with a Cop Day in October at the Boxboro Regency. Ryder said they had a few residents drop by for the event.

“It’s important to us,” said Ryder about community relations, saying that residents got to “see a human side to the badge.”

Building trust

Ryder and Cogan both talked about the importance of having a positive presence in the community to build trust with residents and especially students. Building these relationships means that someone in trouble is more likely to turn to police if they are in need of help. In particular, Cogan notes the impact of school resource officers, who work to form those positive relationships with the community’s youth.

Ryder said he understood that not everyone has had positive experiences dealing with law enforcement. Some Boxborough residents, he said, may have come from places and countries were police can be oppressive, and they may be less inclined to trust their police.

“That pains me greatly,” said Ryder.

And, for both departments, it is part of how they approach their roles in the community.

“It’s part of 21st-century policing,” Cogan said.

Community events and programs

One of the ways Acton and Boxborough police stay visible is attending community events.

Ryder said Boxborough police, for example, always attend Winterfest and maybe even have a friendly snowball fight with the kids. Another way is the “Are You OK?” program, where police do a daily check in on senior citizens in the community. The senior citizen receives a daily phone call, and the police will ask if they are all right. The resident is safe, the resident feels looked after and, more often than not, the staff member has a pleasant conversation and gets to know that resident.

Ryder said Boxborough police are hoping to have another “bicycle rodeo” safety event, as they did in this past June.

It’s also about learning how to interact with residents who may have disabilities, such has autism, or struggle with mental health concerns. Ryder said the Boxborough officers receive training in “mental first aid” as well as crisis intervention training.

Church groups and camps

Cogan said Acton Police do attend community events, and have held open-house events like National Night Out, where residents get to see the police station and share a pizza with officers. Cogan said the Acton Police attend the yearly Martin Luther King Breakfast at Congregation Beth Elohim. Over the past summer, they participated in Ramadan with a Muslim group at the Church of the Good Shepard. They also attend senior center breakfasts as well as holding Summer Safety Day at NARA Park.

Cogan said community outreach has always been important to them, and it was part of the department’s goal to expand community outreach.

“We recognize how important it is,” Cogan said.