The U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) will join law enforcement agencies throughout the country for the fourth annual National Coffee with a Cop Day. On Wednesday, October 2, 2019, officers from law enforcement agencies in all 50 states will participate in Coffee with a Cop events in their communities, and we encourage you to join us.

The Hawthorne (California) Police Department hosted the first Coffee with a Cop in 2011, as part of its effort to enable meaningful conversations with community residents. What began as Hawthorne’s individual effort to reduce barriers between police and the public in their city has since evolved and spread, with funding support from the COPS Office, into an international conversation between police officers and their communities. Coffee with a Cop programs now exist in 24 countries. In 2016, the COPS Office and the Hawthorne Police Department formed a partnership that established the first Wednesday in October as National Coffee with a Cop Day. Last year on that day, more than 3,000 events were officially registered with Coffee with a Cop.

Today, we marvel at the broad acceptance of this simple but effective method of helping people get to know the men and women who work to protect their community and of fostering the local connections we know to be critical to good policing. Please consider how your agency can participate, identify local partners that will support you, and register your event on the national Coffee with a Cop website. This website also offers basic suggestions on how to get started, access to useful materials, and contact information for instructors who have helped communities host past events.

One day—and a few cups of coffee—is all you need to start strengthening the relationship between police and members of the community. No agendas, no barriers—it just takes the willingness to sit down, listen, and have a conversation.