Greenwich PD shares coffee, chat with residents

By Robert Marchant, Greenwich Time
Original article HERE

More than 150 people came to a coffee shop on Greenwich Avenue to chat with town police officers, pose for pictures and get to know the men and women in blue.

The “Coffee with a Cop” event at CFCF Roastery and Café is part of a larger community-policing initiative to foster better communications between police and citizenry. Greenwich held the first coffee-related community event last year, the first in the state, and other departments in Connecticut have followed suit.

The program was initially developed in California and has the backing of the federal Department of Justice.

GPD Officer Justin Rivera said there was a good exchange between community members and around 20 members of the department.

“We’ve been able to answer a lot of questions, and it’s a diverse group of people we’ve spoken to,” said Rivera.

Sgt. Tim Hildebrand said events that foster communication can yield good results over time.

“It’s a bridge builder, it puts us in a good position,” he said. “Get connected, make new relationships, meet people we haven’t seen before.”

Groups of people came in regularly to have brief chats — or in some cases, lengthy discussions — with officers during the morning hours. There was no set agenda or presentations, just free coffee provided by the police union and a willingness to talk about anything.

Skip Parker said hello to several officers of his acquaintance. He and his daughter recently took part in another community-policing program offered by the department, the Citizens’ Police Academy, which puts local residents through a law-enforcement training program.

“The public is ignorant of the depth and scope of what the police department does, and what they’re capable of doing,” said Parker, who works in finance.

Parker said he liked the outreach from the police that the event provided, as well as the the chance for citizens to show some appreciation.

“Law enforcement officers are under a lot of pressure in this country. None of them get into it for fame or fortune, it’s more of a calling. The average citizen needs to show some gratitude,” he said.

Ann Brett said she already knew the department’s officers from interactions in downtown Greenwich and was interested to meet other officers in the department and hear their individual stories.

“I think it’s lovely,” said Brett, a yoga instructor who works on the Avenue. “It’s great we live in a town that shows support for the cops, and one so safe.”