Despite the event’s 7 a.m. start and the unexpectedly snowy conditions from Friday’s storm, about a dozen people showed up in the first hour to get better acquainted with and ask questions of the first-year North Platte chief and his staff.
Reading police Chief Andres Dominguez said he was expecting another run of the mill Coffee with a Cop, an event during which police and residents meet and greet each other. Instead, on Saturday, Dominguez and a half dozen officers and staffers found themselves setting up their information table in the middle of a bustling Mexican Mobile Consulate, which was set up in the large meeting room on the first floor of the Daniel Torres Hispanic Center, 501 Washington St.
It’s not often that the guy pourin’ the coffee is wearing a badge and carrying a pistol, but that’s the way it was at The Legends Cafe Friday morning. Area residents who filled the Council Bluffs cafe for breakfast or just a cup of coffee Friday morning got something extra — an opportunity to meet and visit with some Council Bluffs’ police officers, including Police Chief Tim Carmody, as part of the department’s Coffee With A Cop program.
Liberty police held their second Coffee with a Cop, this time at Plaza Donuts on Belmont Avenue. Chief Toby Meloro said he feels strongly about putting the community first. He said this event is a great way for officers to interact with community members and build a relationship with those they serve in a low-key environment.
North Platte Chief of Police Dan Hudson said he enjoys being able to get to know the community. “This kind of takes down those barriers and really allows us to be seen as our officers are human and they have the same exact things going on in our lives as everyone else has,” said Chief Hudson. “We’re out shoveling walks and dealing with our kids and going to school and stuff like that.”
Community Liaison Officer Aaron Glymph, who said he became a law enforcement officer because he wanted to help people, said one of the most popular questions he is asked during Coffee with a Cop is whether police officers eat donuts. “I always like to make the joke that we live in New Mexico, so we eat burritos instead,” he said, though he’s not exactly sure how many burritos the force eats on a daily basis.
Normally, Ivory Craig is patrolling the streets of Belmont. But on Friday morning, the police officer was learning how to whip up a cinnamon dolce latte at Starbucks. Newly acquired barista skills aside, he’s planning to stick with his career in law enforcement.
“The goal really here is to meet people from our local communities and we want to interact with them and maybe see what are some local issues that we should be focusing on.” During the informal conversations in Wallaceburg, Cowell said police heard about traffic concerns, as well as problems with youths checking for unlocked car doors so they can steal things from cars.
Officers spoke with people on recent scams/frauds they are seeing in the community and how you can keep yourself safe.
The success of Dayton Police Department’s inaugural Coffee With a Cop-Donuts with Dispatch on March 20 will likely lead to it being a monthly event, according to Dayton Police Chief Robert Vine.
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