COFFEE WITH A COP

On Saturday, January 21, McDonald’s located at 6810 Bluffton Road in Fort Wayne hosted a Coffee with a Cop program (and Cookies with a Cop for kids). Guests could visit McDonald’s and grab a small cup of coffee free, and talk to local officers about their community, different laws and any questions they might have that the police officers could answer.

Fort Wayne Police Department Public Information Officer Michael Joyner said, “‘Coffee with a Cop’ program has helped officers and civilians find solutions. It’s a positive step toward communicating in a neutral setting.”

People sit down, sip their coffee, the kids eat a cookie, everyone takes a deep breath and listens to each other.

The Fort Wayne Police Department, Fort Wayne Excise Police, Allen County Sheriff’s Department, Indiana State Police and Department of Natural Resources were on hand to talk to the restaurant patrons.

Children who attended were given a free cookie to enjoy while they asked all kinds of questions and were handed coloring books, stickers and temporary tattoos by the various departments.

The program was started in 2011 and has been implemented in large, as well as, small cities around the country by hundreds of police and sheriff departments. It’s easy to setup. Not formal. And, in a neutral environment. People get something free-coffee or cookie-and a chance to talk to local law enforcement.
A few of the locals wanted to talk about and find solutions to neighborhood problems like break-ins and car thefts.

Police, back in the day, used to ‘walk the beat’. The ‘Coffee with a Cop’ program is another valuable way to communicate with the community they now serve.

If you would like to attend the next McDonald’s sponsored Coffee with a Cop/Cookies with a Cop event, visit McDonald’s located at 3940 E. State Blvd in Fort Wayne on February 18, 2017 from 9-11 a.m.