'Coffee With a Cop' Aims to Break Barriers Between Police Officers and Their Communities

In an effort to break down barriers between police officers and the citizens they serve, the Hinsdale Police Department will be taking place in National Coffee With a Cop Day Friday.

Staff from the local police department will be participating in the event, which has taken place across all 50 states and in nine countries, at the Starbucks at 500 E. Ogden Ave. in Hinsdale.

“Coffee With a Cop” was first started in 2011 by the Hawthorne Police Department in California, according to a release, and has since inspired more than 10,000 similar events. The recognition as a national day on Oct. 7 is backed by the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

This is the first year Coffee With a Cop has had a recognized national day.

“It fits with our mission and our community policing efforts, providing a great opportunity to engage with our residents in an informal, relaxed environment,” Hinsdale Police Chief Kevin Simpson said.

Simpson said he will join two other police officers for the event at Starbucks on Friday.

The event will be taking place in an America in which police brutality is a common concern and topic of discussion. Vox reported 458 deaths from police shootings in the last year and collects statistics and information on the subject regularly.

In such an environment, it could be important for cops to reconnect with their communities.

The idea of the Coffee With a Cop program is to “provide a neutral atmosphere conducive to open dialogue between officers and citizens, as well as to help break down barriers,” according to the release.

The Hinsdale department said they have a goal to host such an event each month to give more members of the community an opportunity to attend.

Simpson also said that, since there are a lot of fresh faces in the department, the event could be a good way to integrate new officers into the community.

“We’ve hired five new officers in the last 18 months because of retirements and promotions,” he said. “Some of the familiar faces are gone and this is a great chance for the new officers to acquaint themselves with our residents outside some type of enforcement interaction.”

A full list of events can be found here.

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Photo by Anicka Slachta for Patch.