Cup With a Cop Programs Returns to Reno

By Chris Buckley, KTVN
Original article HERE

The Reno Police Department’s Cup With a Cop event is back for 2020. The first event of the year is at Panaderia Mi Linda Guatemala on Vassar Street from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. It’s a chance for community members to have coffee and conversation with some of the officers.

“Really it’s just about having a cup of coffee with an officer here at the Reno Police Department,” said Officer Travis Warren. “It’s a casual conversation, a casual environment. When you go meet someone for a cup of coffee, normally what you’re going to do is have a conversation sometimes about meaningful things, sometimes just catching up and learning a little bit more about a person; that’s really what this is. It’s really important, I think, for our community to remember that we’re just people as well. we’re parents, brothers, sisters, mothers, and it’s an opportunity to get to know us on a different level.”

The Department holds the event quarterly at local businesses in different parts of town. Panaderia Mi Linda Guatemala is the only bakery of its kind in the state.

“We stick to our recipes, we stick to our standards, and we want to get that authentic flavor and feel that everybody seeks,” said Marlon Salazar.

He says the bakery was excited to host the event.

“The police have a lot of efforts they are putting into action,” he said. “And as a community, it’s our responsibility to be involved and be engaged, so it feels really awesome to be part of that movement.”

The officers are there to chat, to answer specific questions and to talk about careers in law enforcement.

“One of the things that stands out is at one of our first events, an individual had some questions related to some things going on in their family that they hadn’t had a chance to talk about before,” Warren said. “And this was a comfortable place for them to share that story and to seek some guidance. With our recruitment efforts, we try to be more available to the community to answer those questions when they might be in a position i was in 15 years ago, where i was looking at this as a career opportunity.”

The next Cup With a Cop event is in April.