“Coffee With a Cop” held March 22

By Nancy Gindle, Marion Times
Original article HERE

On Wednesday morning, March 22, three members of the Marion Police Department joined residents in an informal setting at the Marion Hy-Vee to simply sit and chat.

It was an opportunity for members of the community who didn’t have to be at work to talk with Police Chief Joseph McHale, Deputy Chief Doug Slagle and Officer Logan Baburek. It provided a time to ask questions, express opinions or concerns, and request help if desired.

Among those who attended were a group of retired folks who invited McHale to their table for some lively conversation.

In the meantime, Slagle gave us information about what the “Coffee With a Cop” opportunity is all about. He said that the department routinely schedules times to reach out to community members and has done so for years. This doesn’t happen real frequently, only about three times over the course of a year, but the department has picked some times when they seem to get good feedback and participation.

Slagle stressed that the members of the force realize how important it is to be available to residents, and it is often easier for people to open up and share their concerns and ask questions during a casual time like Wednesday’s session.

He noted that it gives people “a different perception of law enforcement,” which can be valuable at other times and perhaps under more stressful circumstances.

One of the positive comments made Wednesday morning is that people in Marion tend to take good care of their neighbors. For instance, most people are pretty aware of who lives and belongs in their area. Which cars park at what houses, regular goings and comings to and from work or school, who walks their dogs at what times – these are all routines good neighbors tend to follow. And they are welcome to call the police non-emergency number if something seems unusual.

A number of people beyond neighbors – such as mail carriers, UPS or FedEx people, bus drivers, and even paper delivery persons – who enter neighborhoods every day help the police and the residents, too, by letting someone know if mail hasn’t been picked up for a while or if something looks “out of line.” It’s these tips that sometimes help the police before something serious happens to residents or their property.

Dave Paris spent some time with just Baburek and us, and then Slagle and eventually McHale joined him a bit later. Charley Knudtsen, a retiree just back from volunteering at Scout Camp, was among those who arrived mid-morning.

A trio of young women talked with a couple of the police representatives. According to McHale, they were an advocacy group and pleased to have the chance to speak about their concerns. They left some written materials with him.

While the Hy-Vee eating area did not have a lot of customers mid-morning, the relaxed atmosphere was conducive to residents feeling they could go to police department individuals if they had felt a need to do so.

Future opportunities like this will be published well in advance in the Marion Times and we hope residents will take advantage of them. In the meantime, if any resident feels a need to talk with someone informally at the department, they can always contact the non-emergency number at 319-377-1511.