Students and cops talk over a cup of coffee

By Carlos Martinez, Talon Marks
Original article HERE

Tom Gallivan, chief of police, talks with Cerritos College students about his experiences on campus.

Cerritos College students and campus police conversed with one another over coffee and snacks during an annual event where the student body and local law enforcement learn more about each other.

“Coffee With a Cop,” held on Nov. 21, helped students bridge a relationship with the officers who’s primary goal is to keep Cerritos College and its staff, faculty and students safe.

The event’s primary focus is to destroy the infamous stereotype of law enforcement being intimidating or corrupted.

With social media and television reports on police related incidents, “Coffee With a Cop” is one of the tools officers use to give the community a calming sense that the men and women of law enforcement are not what the media perceives them.

“The officers are here as a resource,” Tom Gallivan, chief of police, said, “or somebody that students are free to talk to freely, not being afraid to voice an opinion with us.”

Gallivan also said that the event also help students learn more from an officer’s point of view about situations where society can either agree or disagree on the way it is being handled.

“In law enforcement you understand that there’s a protocol, there’s a procedure and a lot of times the media pushes things out there […] and sometimes it’s incorrect,” he said.

Students are encouraged to talk with any officers for resources or for a friendly conversation and stop by the Campus Police Department located at the corner of New Falcon Way and Lot 10.