Coffee was flowing and so was the conversation at the latest Coffee with Cops held at Heartfields Assisted Living in Easton on Wednesday, March 28. “We had a really good turn out of residents here, and they had a lot of good questions,” said Sgt. Eric Kellner of the Easton Police Department. “We more or less were just having conversations about their background — a lot them have family with law enforcement ties. So it was good to have those discussions and share stories.”
Over the years barriers have been unknowingly forged through the advancement of technology. Doughty and the police department are acutely aware that while the new developments in technology have been invaluable to ensuring public safety, it is also a major cause of the divide that exists between police and the public. Remaining in high-tech squad cars, frequently monitoring a screen for danger, and being constantly updated via radio can make it easy to become disconnected.
Tuesday’s coffee with a cop at the Blue Parrot Cafe on Macleay Island was as successful an event as we have ever hosted. With Sergeant Dave Purcell and his partner in crime Senior Constable Carolyn Gregg on hand to meet the locals, listen to concerns, offer advice and of course pay for all the coffee they were very popular indeed.
One of the hot topics was scams and how people can protect themselves from being victimized. “The only person that can protect you is yourself,” Schaefer shared. “Unfortunately the older generation is preyed upon a lot because they came from a very trusting generation, but anyone can be targeted.” Schaefer said she has been targeted several times on her work cell phone from scam artists fishing for information as well as her home phone number.
“Let’s face it, generally when people interact with law enforcement it’s because they or someone close to them is having a bad day or a bad moment in the day,” Hargitt said. “But if officers can talk to people when things are going well and they are having a good day, then you can build that relationship.”
Anywhere from two and four police officers were available at a given time to take questions on Friday, and the Reporter got answers to some questions that were submitted by our readers.
Coffee with a Cop was held with a unique twist on Friday afternoon. For the first time, a local high school hosted the event, as La Cueva High School students got the chance to sit down with the officers that watch over them.
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