Police Officers, residents, and Elected Officials celebrated National Coffee with a Cop Day at Starbucks in Aviation Plaza at Linden Police Department’s “Coffee with a Cop” event on Wednesday, October 4th. There was nothing formal about the event, just a chance for the community to meet with Officers and talk with them over a cup of coffee. The event is designed to bring Officers and residents together in a relaxed setting, and by all accounts it succeeded. “Most people are only used to seeing us in an emergency situation, so the event generated a lot of interest and we saw a really great turnout,” explained Lt. Christopher Guenther. “After talking for a little while, I think a lot of people were surprised to find out that they had more in common than they realized.”
The event was sponsored by Starbucks, who handed out giveaways, free coffee, and snacks to those in attendance. “Starbucks is very involved in our community events,” said Lt. Guenther. “They have been very generous and are always looking for ways to get more involved.”
Linden Police Officer Michelle Bonilla even spent some time behind the counter as a Barista. “It was much harder than I thought it would be,” said Ofc. Bonilla. “I have a whole new respect for what they deal with!”
The first “Coffee with a Cop” was held in Hawthorne, CA in 2011. Since then the program has expanded to become one of the most successful community policing programs across the United States. This was the second “Coffee with a Cop” event hosted by the department and there are plans to host a series of community events throughout the year.
