National Coffee with a Cop Day Held Across Cape Cod

HYANNIS – People across Cape Cod got to enjoy a cup of Joe Wednesday with local police officers during National Coffee With a Cop Day.

Coffee with a Cop is an opportunity for the public to meet with local law enforcement officers in a comfortable environment and talk about any subject in an informal setting.

“It’s really about community involvement, we’re trying to increase our profile, get out there and talk to people, whenever you get a chance you can talk to us, we’re available anytime,” said Barnstable Police Chief Matthew Sonnabend.

“If you have a problem, don’t hesitate to call us. The most frequent thing we hear whenever we’re out in the public and doing different things is ‘this has been going on, I didn’t really want to bother you, I didn’t really want to say anything, I didn’t think it was a big deal.’ That’s what we’re here for, that’s what we get paid for. We’re open 24 hours a day 365 days a week, give us a call, we will deal with it,” the chief said.    

Coffee with a Cop was launched in Hawthorne, California in 2011 when officers from the Hawthorne Police Department were looking for ways to interact more successfully with citizens they served each day.  

The event was established so that residents and officers can discuss community issues and build relationships as typically law enforcement interactions may only occur during emergencies or situations not conductive to just talking.

“It gives us a chance to deal with the public, talk to the public on an even setting, any other time you’re dealing with the public it’s usually at a traffic stop or someone’s calling you for an emergency,” said Sonnabend.

“It’s not really time to ask ‘how’s your day going,’ what are you doing, what interest do you have?’” 

“So it gives an opportunity for people to talk to us and us to talk to them, and they can kind of bring any concerns they may have in an informal setting to let us know about stuff,” he said.

People all across Cape Cod got to speak with police officers at local Dunkin’ Donuts, Cumberland Farms, and Starbucks among many locations.

Coffee with a Cop was held in Bourne, Sandwich, Mashpee, Barnstable, Yarmouth, Harwich, Chatham, Brewster, Eastham, Provincetown, and Wellfleet.     

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