Mix of coffee and conversation for Central Mass. officers

By Kim Ring, Telegram
Original article HERE

It was a sight that had some folks asking questions like, “Why are those cops sitting around drinking coffee?”

The answer was simple: they want you to join them.

In Worcester, police officers were at Brew on the Grid, on the Common, and at The Pickle Barrel on Pleasant Street, where residents were invited to have a seat and talk with an officer about neighborhood concerns. Some just said hello while others asked specific questions or invited the officers to events.

Wednesday was Coffee with a Cop Day throughout the country. Worcester and a handful of other departments in Central Massachusetts participated, setting up at local coffee shops.

The program began, like many community policing initiatives, in California in 2011. The Hawthorne Police Department held its first Coffee with a Cop in March of that year and the idea caught on. Since then, such events have spread all 50 states. Police departments in Canada, Africa, Australia, Europe and Latin American also take part, according to coffeewithacop.com.

Even in small towns, like New Braintree, officers waited, coffee in hand, to meet with residents.

Four people came by Reed’s Country Store in New Braintree to speak with an officer. Those who came specifically for the event were treated to a free Danish provided by the store.

“Most of the people just came by to say hello, see how we’re doing and to say thank you” Lt. Kevin Landine said. “That was unexpected.”

A handful of folks stoppedby Mimi’s Coffeehouse in Hardwick, as well, and the main question there was “When will you get a new police station?” Lt. Landine said, adding that the answer is unknown.

Worcester Police Chief Steven M. Sargent stopped by Brew on the Grid. He’s a big proponent of community engagement — he takes on a foot patrol a few times a week in various areas of the city.

“I live for this,” he said as he jumped behind the counter at the Brew and offered to wait on some customers.

Even without concerns to discuss, meeting an officer and asking about them can yield some interesting tales:

Worcester Officer Thomas Hurley took up painting as he recovered from being hit by a car while working on a detail and he now sells his work online.

Officer Luis Baez worked in Holyoke after being laid off from Worcester Police Department before he even started his Worcester job back in 1991.

Officer Sean Lovely Sr. is quite a historian — ask him about the history of Kelley Square.

And Officer Sam Rivera’s mother didn’t want him to work for the New York Police Department so he thought he’d be a Boston cop, but he landed in Worcester. His tie bar, though, is from the NYPD.

Many departments that took part on Wednesday said they’ll participate again and maybe adapt the event to make it more convenient for folks to attend.

“We might do this more often,” Chief Sargent said, adding that there may be some fine tuning, such as a sign indicating that officers are inside a business as part of the community policing program.

That, he said, might help avoid folks thinking cops are spending hours drinking coffee.