Merrillville police host first Coffee with a Cop event

By Becky Jacobs, Post-Tribune
Original article HERE

John Rainwater looked surprised when Merrillville Police Commander Robert Wiley told the 8-year-old he also watched the “Walking Dead” and read all the show’s comic books.

Rainwater, with a police badge sticker stuck to his red T-shirt, sat across from Wiley at the Dunkin Donuts on U.S. 30 Friday morning. Other departments in the area, such as Gary police, have held similar events, but Friday was Merrillville Police Department’s first Coffee with a Cop event, where police interact and chat with people in the community they serve.

In between meeting officers, Rainwater made sure to pet the department’s K-9, Jack, who Rainwater said was “really nice.” With a bottle of milk in front of the Merrillville boy and an iced coffee in front of Patrolman Josh Miskus, Rainwater said he was having a “good” morning as the two bonded over movies.

“I think a lot of people maybe feel intimidated to talk to a police officer,” Miskus said.

It’s important to get out and show people that cops are not scary and are there to help people, especially given the culture with policing right now, Miskus said.

“I think the more we’re out in the community, the better,” Miskus said.

The department’s first Coffee with a Cop event came about after Mickus and the manager of the Merrillville Dunkin Donuts, Sanjey Patel, decided they wanted to do something together for the community. Some of the department’s officers frequent the Dunkin Donuts, and Patel has got to know them, so it just made sense to have it there, they said.

Coffee with a Cop

Miskus said they weren’t sure how many people would come, but as the morning went on, the seating area began to fill up. Joyce Rainwater, John’s mother, said she heard about it from her cousin, and she thought it was a good opportunity to get out of the house.

Allison Ellis, who has been an officer with the department for about 10 years and grew up in the area, said the event was a “great idea.”

“Most of us are here on our time off because we want to be here,” Ellis said.

The department is always out trying to interact with people, but seeing how Friday went, Wiley said the Coffee with a Cop event “is something we should’ve been doing a long time ago.”

Chief Joseph Petruch said the event provided another opportunity to network and meet people in the community face to face. That’s something that Marcellus Hendricks, of Hammond, said his nonprofit’s office in Merrillville aims to teach young people. Hendricks said he went Friday morning to talk with officers and build a relationship with them to practice what he teaches of how important it is to meet people in person.

As Ethel Rodgers, of Merrillville, went around Dunkin Donuts talking to the officers, she couldn’t say enough good things about the Merrillville Police Department.

“My hats off to them,” Rodgers said.

She said she enjoys seeing the officers, including Miskus, at the Dunkin Donuts regularly, telling them hello and letting them know she appreciates them.

“Y’all are doing an excellent job,” Rodgers said to Miskus.