Belmont police hold ‘Coffee with a Cop’ at Starbucks

By Dashiell Coleman, Gaston Gazette
Original article HERE

Normally, Ivory Craig is patrolling the streets of Belmont. But on Friday morning, the police officer was learning how to whip up a cinnamon dolce latte at Starbucks. Newly acquired barista skills aside, he’s planning to stick with his career in law enforcement.

“Repetition is the father of learning, so I’d want to do it a couple more times before I feel confident in making another one on my own,” Craig said.

Craig, Belmont Police Department’s new community officer, organized the Coffee with a Cop event at the Park Street Starbucks. For two hours Friday, officers offered free coffee to residents as a way to open dialogue and build community relationships.

Craig said the event was made to “make sure the community and the police are on the same page as much as possible.”

“There are some misconceptions about what’s going on in the world today that we want to be able to clear up,” Craig said, mentioning specifically police shootings and public dialogue about the relationship between law enforcement and the public at large. “We want to be able to talk to people about that.”

About 20 people came over to talk to the officers by 10 a.m., and some police came in on their day off for the event. Coffee with a Cop events are held by departments nationwide, and Craig says he’s planning for at least two more this year. There will also be other events that provide a relaxing atmosphere for people to interact with police and ask questions.

Relationships are important in building trust, he said.

“The majority of the time they’re the eyes and ears of the community,” Craig said of the public. “We can’t be everywhere we want to be at all times. We’re thankful for people who are there and able to contact us so we can work together. That’s really what it’s all about.”

Police Chief Chad Hawkins said his 38 full-time officers try to be engaged with the community as much as possible — something he says is especially important as Belmont grows.

“To me, relationships are where problem-solving begins,” Hawkins said. “Community events like this help us to build relationships with the people we serve, and it also helps us to have a better understanding of each other and our different views on how things happen.”