![]() Social media has also spurred the spread of the initiative, reaching new audiences across the nation at a level that in-person workshops cannot. ![]() area, in conjunction with the first ever National Coffee with a Cop Day on August 4, 2014. The last regional workshop will be in the Washington, D.C. One more regional workshop will be held in 2013 in New Hampshire and at least five more workshops are planned for 2014. This idea seems to have captured broad interest from many public safety organizations. The attendants at the regional workshops have not only been local police departments but also state police, Tribal police, conservation officers, university public safety departments, public school resource officers, the Federal Protective Service, and the Veterans Affairs Police. One hundred and seventy-three officers have attended the workshops, reaching 105 different law enforcement jurisdictions in 12 different states. This allows workshop participants to observe and gain practical hands-on experience to initiate their own Coffee with a Cop events when they return to their jurisdictions.įour regional Coffee with a Cop workshops have been hosted this year: Gulf Shores, Alabama Evansville and Valparaiso, Indiana and most recently Green Bay, Wisconsin. The workshops are followed by Coffee with a Cop events hosted by local police departments. The regional trainings consist of a half-day interactive workshop taught by veteran officers from Hawthorne PD Captain Keith Kauffman, Sergeant Chris Cognac, and Detective John Dixon. Through a strategic partnership between the Hawthorne PD and the University of Illinois' Center for Public Safety and Justice a national training program was established with regional workshops, which began in May of 2013. The remarkable evolution of Coffee with a Cop can be linked to several factors, but foremost it is due to the vision and funding support of the COPS Office Community Policing Development grant program. ![]() Community members come to their local Coffee with a Cop event for a variety of reasons, but no matter why they come, they are likely to leave with a more positive impression of their local law enforcement officers. Coffee with a Cop is enhancing community trust, increasing police legitimacy, and building partnerships. In over 175 communities across the nation, law enforcement agencies are doing just that. So, in this ever-changing world, how can law enforcement personnel engage in quality interactions with the people they serve? Hawthorne Police Department (PD) found one answer to that question, and as Captain Bill Bongle from the Green Bay Police concluded “It is elegant in its simplicity”-just have a cup of coffee. With this redefinition, community policing itself must gain a contemporary perspective. Shifting demographics, greater mobility with longer commutes to and from work, instantaneous communications, and the advent of web-based social networking have forever altered the very concept of community. What has dramatically changed, however, is the character and composition of our nation's communities. ![]() The importance of trust between officers and residents certainly has not changed. Just two years later, Coffee with a Cop events are being hosted in more than 36 states across the nation.Ĭommunity policing has long been considered a framework for establishing relationships between the community and the police. Police and community members came together in an informal, neutral space to discuss community issues, build relationships, and drink coffee. In March 2011 the Hawthorne, California, Police Department Community Affairs Unit hosted their first Coffee with a Cop event. ![]() Building trust with the community one cup at a time. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |