Champaign community gets to know their officers over coffee

By Nikki McGee, WCCU
Original article HERE

Wednesday morning Champaign police offered a way for community members to better get to know them over a cup of joe.

The city held Coffee with a Cop at Aroma Cafe. The community was invited to come get to know officers and address any concerns.

“It’s a chance to sit down and have a friendly, meaningful conversation and be able to approach officers and allow us to speak to each other on a human level,” Champaign police officer Richard Carroll said.

One topic of discussion was home security. Champaign resident Lisa Pantaleo shares a tip police offered her about living on a ground floor level.

“They said to go outside of your house at night like it is normally with your blinds closed, whatever lights you normally have on and look around your house and see what can be seen in there,” Pantaleo said.

Police hope to continue to host Coffee with a Cop events every few months. Officers say they encourage parents to bring their kids to these events so they can see officers as more approachable, and not someone to be scared of.