Coffee with a Cop: Plymouth police make new friends

By Rich Harbert, Wicked Local Plymouth
Original article HERE

Customers may have wondered if they were getting fries with their morning brew Wednesday as Plymouth police hosted Coffee with a Cop Day at a local Dunkin’.

While fellow officers distributed coffee and doughnuts to customers inside the Samoset Street shop Wednesday morning, Chief Michael Botieri had some fun with folks using the drive-through window.

“Good morning, welcome to McDonald’s,” the chief joked through a headset as customers placed orders. “Would you like cream with that? Extra onions?”

The Coffee with a Cop Day, now in its third year nationwide, is designed to help law enforcement engage with the public. The open invitation promised no agenda, no speeches, no presentations, just coffee and a chance to ask questions, voice concerns and get to know officers in the community.

Dunkin’ reached out to police in several area communities to host this year’s event, which ran from 8 to 10 a.m.

Young Jayc Figueroa was one of the first to greet officers.

The second-grader at Nathaniel Morton Elementary School hopes to become a cop and went to work with his mother, Dunkin’ employee Kelly Amaral, to meet officers on the force before school.

Botieri and several officers posed for a photo with Jayc and gave him a police pin and commemorative coin. Better still, Officer Paul Reissfelder also gave Jayc a ride to school in his cruiser.

About 40 people stopped by for coffee and many of those stayed long enough to share their thoughts.

Botieri said some talked about what is going on in the country, asking questions about training and events involving police in other parts of the country. “A few said this is good because there’s a negative perception about police and this can only help,” Botieri said.

Cathy Rhear, district manager for Dunkin’, said Botieri and his officers certainly helped dispel that perception among her staff, even if it did mean giving away a few free meals.

“We’re definitely loving him behind the counter. The crew has been in great spirits all day,” Rhear said.

Pam White, the store manager, said she will try to get the chief to work the busy Sunday morning shift. “He’s having too much fun,” she said.

Botieri surprised every fifth customer at the drive through with free drinks and got a few surprises of his own.

One woman confessed that her registration sticker looked expired, but she had the current one in her glove box and would make the switch right away. “I had to tell her this about free coffee, not her registration,” Botieri said.

The next customer reported that the car that just left had an expired registration.

This year’s Coffee with a Cop ended with the chief offering to make a coffee run to a rival shop. “Who wants Marylou’s,” he said.