Bernardston seniors converse with police during ‘Coffee with a Cop’

By Zack DeLuca, Greenfield Recorder
Original article HERE

The Senior Center held it’s first-ever “Coffee with a Cop” event Tuesday morning, with a visit from Police Chief James Palmeri and Sgt. John Richardson.

“It’s a chance to see what’s on people’s minds, their concerns,” Palmeri said. “You can only put so much online, on social media, so it’s nice to get this face-to-face.”

Those in attendance took part in neighborly conversation with the boys in blue while enjoying a hot cup of coffee and fresh doughnuts from Adams Donut Shop in Greenfield. The police officers shuffled from table to table with coffee mugs in hand as they told, and listened to, stories related to scam calls and high-speed drivers in the area.

“Scam calls are always a big topic of discussion,” Senior Center Director Hayley Bolton noted.

The center held a discussion around scam calls and how to avoid them earlier this month. Fortunately, Palmeri said nobody at the Senior Center had fallen victim to such scam calls.

The officers also spoke about their methods of monitoring high-speed traffic. In addition to regular patrols, they said the Police Department uses a speed radar trailer to monitor traffic during the warmer months, but with the snow and plows it is dangerous to leave the equipment on the side of the road.

Richardson said he enjoys educating drivers on safe speeds when possible, rather than acting punitively. With two state highways and the interstate going through Bernardston, he said “sometimes speeding isn’t intentional” as the speed limits change near the heart of town.

Attendees of Tuesday’s discussion said they enjoyed the event, and thought it was informative. One Senior Center member, Gretchen Miller, said the officers shared a special piece of equipment as part of their conversation — florescent yellow and red gloves and mittens for officers to wear when signaling traffic. Miller said she was surprised by the officers’ experiences, where drivers came dangerously close to them because they misread the officers’ signals.

“I keep them in the front of my car so I can throw them on if needed,” Richardson said of the gloves and mittens. “The high-contrast color helps a lot with visibility.”

While the mittens are warm, Richardson said, the gloves are more of a construction style that allow for dexterity and some protection. They can be used in an emergency if he comes upon the scene of an accident and has to reach into a vehicle with broken glass.

Palmeri emphasized that Senior Center members are welcome to call the Police Department with questions and concerns. They do not need to think of it as an emergency or 911 line, he said.

Both Bolton and Palmeri said they hope to continue the event on a semi-regular basis. Bolton added that while the event was dubbed “Coffee with a Cop,” she is interested in extending the opportunities to Fire Chief Peter Shedd or Selectboard members in hopes of keeping seniors and other members of the public informed and in touch with their local officials.