Ogdensburg’s ‘Coffee with a Cop’ event called ‘tremendous success’

By LARRY ROBINSON, Watertown Daily Times
Original article HERE

A recent community outreach initiative sponsored by the Ogdensburg Police Department as a way to build trust and understanding with city residents has been deemed a tremendous success by organizers.

City police held their first “Coffee with a Cop” event Friday, inviting residents to sit down and share a cup of joe with a municipal police officer at McDonald’s restaurant on Paterson Street.

The “Coffee with a Cop” program is a national initiative designed to improve community relations. Friday’s gathering marked the first time it was held in Ogdensburg.

City Police Lt. Daniel Mousaw said the two-hour “Coffee with a Cop” gathering was so successful that his department is already considering future events at other locations in the city.

“We not only had officers who attended that were on shift, but officers who voluntarily held over from their midnight shifts, as well as officers who came in on their days off, to partake in our efforts to step up positive community policing and relationship building,” Mr. Mousaw said. “The event was a tremendous success, and we certainly expect to hold more ‘Coffee with a Cop’ events in the future.”

Mr. Mousaw said he and other members of the city police department want to thank the large number of residents who took part in the community outreach effort. He said the coffee time provided a perfect opportunity for officers and the public to discuss a variety of issues and to get to know each other on a one-on-one level.

“We would like to take this time to thank all of the community members who attended this event, which without your participation and support, this event would have no meaning,” Mr. Mousaw said. “We would also like to thank McDonald’s, McDonald’s Manager Barb Cota, and all of the staff, who allowed us to host the event at their restaurant, supplied the coffee, cookies, and whom were very gracious and accommodating.”

Last but not least, Mr. Mousaw said it was important to thank the members of the Ogdensburg Police Department who made time in their schedules to take part.

The “Coffee with a Cop” program was launched in Hawthorne, Calif., in 2011, when members of the Hawthorne Police Department were looking for ways to interact more successfully with the citizens they served, according to the “Coffee with a Cop” website.

Since that time ““Coffee with a Cop”” events have been hosted in all 50 states and the initiative has become one of the most successful community oriented policing programs across the country, according to officials.

The program has also expanded outside the Unites States to Canada, Europe, Australia, and Africa, the website said.