Normally, sitting down for coffee with a police officer might seem out of the ordinary — not when it’s National Coffee With a Cop Day.
In 2011, the Hawthorne Police Department started Coffee With a Cop as a way to have officers interact with people from the community in a low-stress environment. The key to the program is allowing people and police to meet and talk with each other in comfortable, non-adversarial situations where they can just be themselves, enjoying a cup of coffee.
On Wednesday, Oct. 2 the Santa Clara Police Department (SCPD) held its 8th annual National Coffee With a Cop Day at Sara’s Kitchen in Santa Clara. However, these events actually happen on a regular basis. Instead of just waiting for the annual event, SCPD holds Coffee With a Cop events several times a year. Since 2016, the department has held 14 events with four events in 2019 so far.
This year’s event featured a special guest. Deputy District Attorney Johnny Gogo stopped by to show his support of the SCPD and the National Coffee With a Cop day.
“I’ve been to at least one other Coffee With a Cop event with the department,” said Gogo, who learned about the Santa Clara event through the SCPD’s Twitter feed. “I’ve also been to a number of Coffee With a Cop events with different police agencies in the county to help support the events and with public outreach efforts.”
For more information on the SCPD’s Coffee With a Cop event, visit their webpage: santaclaraca.gov/government/departments/police-department/community/coffee-with-a-cop.
“It’s always good to have these events,” said Gogo. “This event brought out different members of the community. I met some business folks who came out to meet other community members as well as the local police department. It’s always positive to see local residents come out and share a cup of coffee with the department.”