Spanish Coffee with a Cop aims to break barriers

By Victoria Atterberry, Carrollton Leader
Original article HERE

Spanish Coffee with a CopCarrollton’s Spanish version of Coffee with a Cop, Cafe con la Policia, is growing, and officers hope the program helps them connect with the Hispanic community.

The program is run the same way as the English version. Members of the community are welcome to join officers at coffee houses or other establishments to ask questions and talk with officers in a relaxed setting. In the Spanish version, Spanish-speaking officers lead the meetings in Spanish and bring in items like Pan Dulce or sweet bread.

Officer Gabriella Rodriguez said the idea came from fellow officer and co-coordinator of the UNIDOS program Officer Tony Vazquez. Vazquez knew Dallas Police had a similar program and brought the idea to the department.

Rodriguez said she aims to make the program fun and colorful. She’s been reaching out to Spanish businesses to get the word out.

“They are very happy we are bringing something in Spanish just for them, and a lot of businesses have partnered with us and have agreed to host our meetings,” Rodriguez said.

Even though only two meetings have been held so far, Rodriguez said they have been successful and have had positive outcomes. The hope is that with each meeting police are breaking barriers between them and the community.

“I really do believe that having these few meetings so far has helped us to build a better bond with them just like UNIDOS has,” Rodriguez said. “… I feel like they don’t feel pressured to come to an actual formal meeting, and that they have the freedom to just pass by for five minutes and just get to know us.”

The next meeting on the list is March 9 from 9-11 a.m. at the Pollo Salsa. People are encouraged to come to interact with officers and talk about anything they wish. Rodriguez said she hopes the community sees that officers are regular people.

“I think it’s important for us to see that side of us, to see that there’s no reason to fear us,” she said. “It’s OK to just grab a bite with us, have coffee with us or just to simply approach us for a picture.”