New Jersey diners enjoy ‘Coffee with a Cop’ at local restaurant
Janice Dean speaks with diners and local law enforcement at Sweetwater Bar & Grill in Cinnaminsin, New Jersey.
Janice Dean speaks with diners and local law enforcement at Sweetwater Bar & Grill in Cinnaminsin, New Jersey.
As part of last weeks orientation week activities, the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) Justice Society organised a QPS Coffee with a Cop event for their incoming student faculty.
“We think that a face to face setting kind of paints everybody in a good picture, makes the officers a little more approachable. You see them at McDonald’s, you might be a little more prone to talk to them on the street. Things like that. Just trying to, all around, give a better image as best as we can.”
Carrollton’s Spanish version of Coffee with a Cop, Cafe con la Policia, is growing, and officers hope the program helps them connect with the Hispanic community.
Hundreds of people come to share a conversation with an officer, but the overwhelming amount of people can put a damper on the time attendees have to make those connections. “Instead of having large events where we’re getting 200 to 300 students, faculty, and staff, we decided to do several small ones,” Officer Knoles said. “This way we get a little bit more one-on-one time with our students, faculty, and staff.
Brooklyn Freeman, a student at the college, helped organize the event. “I usually do a paper, but I decided I wanted to do something worth a lot more for the community. My hope was really that officers could just get to know students and citizen,” Freeman said.
The sound of laughter, voices, and the wind blowing as the front door opened and closed filled the space at Teatotaller’s in Somersworth Tuesday. It was time for “Coffee with a Cop.”
Caylee Wilkes took to heart a vital safety tip officer Joe Malvasia offered her, but the kind way he delivered it also was not lost on her.
Officers Grant Sampson, Shane Hein and Derek Reilly interacted with a number of community members, including children who were thrilled to sit in the All Terrain Vehicle and speak with police about “all things crime fighting”.
Patrolman Joe Friml says his favorite visit so far is getting to know seniors and he has taken part in their Wii bowling games in the Active Senior Network Room.