Kennewick Coffee with a Cop: Fostering Community Bonds Wednesday

This Wednesday, come ask questions and get to know your local Kennewick Police officers, especially if that idea makes you nervous.

The History of Coffee with a Cop

It is time once again for the annual “Coffee with a Cop”. These events have grown to all 50 states since they were first created in 2011, with over 15,000 events in 5 different languages. The goal was to create a comfortable atmosphere where community members and police officers could come together and meet face-to-face and talk about any questions the community might have. The Pasco Police Department just had their event a couple of weeks ago, now it is Kennewick Police Department’s turn.

In an interview on the United States Department of Justice Cops website, Chief Cam Sanchez of the Santa Barbara Police Department explains how the idea was started back in 2011. He says “It goes back to the old fashion way of doing policing; getting out of the car and actually conversing with people and not waiting for them to call us in an emergency…it [Coffee with a Cop] is really successful because the community is coming out.”

Coffee with a Cop in Kennewick

The Kennewick Police Department is hosting this year’s Coffee with a Cop event in cooperation with a local Starbucks location. It will be at the Starbucks location off Clearwater at 2801 W Clearwater this Wednesday. The event is only 2 hours from 3-5pm and is always busy, so make sure you get there early. These yearly events help bring the community and police together to discuss concerns in their neighborhoods and to build trust by breaking down the barriers between them.

The Kennewick Police Facebook Post About Event

The Kennewick Police Department posted about the event today on their Facebook page saying “Kennewick Police is teaming up with Starbucks Coffee for an afternoon of coffee, conversation, and relationship building.”