Coffee with a Cop comes back to Zinc Café on Saturday

Meet and visit with Laguna Beach City Manager Shohreh Dupuis and Police Chief Jeff Calvert on Saturday, Aug 7 from 8-10 a.m. as Coffee with a Cop returns after a long hiatus.

The mission of Coffee with a Cop is to break down the barriers between police officers and the citizens they serve by removing agendas and allowing opportunities to ask questions, voice concerns, and get to know officers in the neighborhood.

The Laguna Beach Police Department held its first Coffee with a Cop in 2015.

Coffee with A Cop was launched in Hawthorne, Calif., in 2011 when officers from the Hawthorne Police Department were looking for ways to interact more successfully with the citizens they served each day. Community policing has long been considered a framework for establishing trust between the community and the police. 

Click on photo for a larger image

Photo by Mary Hurlbut

Coffee with a Cop in past years on Cliff Drive with Community Service Officer Natasha “Nikki” Hernandez

However, over time the character and composition of our nation’s communities have changed due to shifting demographics, more commuters, and the introduction of different communication methods such as websites and social media. 

The Hawthorne Police Department hit upon a simple plan to break through the barriers that have been built over the years – a cup of coffee. Coffee with a Cop events are now held in all 50 states and it is one of the most successful community oriented policing programs across the country. The program has also expanded to outside the Unites States to Canada, Europe, Australia, Africa, and Latin America. The key to Coffee with a Cop’s growing success is that it opens the door for interactions outside of the crisis situations that typically bring law enforcement officers and community members together.

We’re happy to have Coffee with a Cop return.

Zinc Café is located at 350 Ocean Ave.