MINOT — Coffee and conversation go together. That’s the thinking behind Coffee with a Cop, an idea spawned in California in 2011.
Area law enforcement and the public were invited to The Coffee Station—Urban Gourmet on South Broadway Wednesday morning to meet each other and share handshakes and conversation.
“It’s a very relaxed atmosphere where the general public and law enforcement can make a meaningful connection,” said Aaron Moss, Minot Police. “It doesn’t have to be police related, a casual conversation about anything. No topics are off limits.”
Among the non-law enforcement participants Wednesday was Liz Larsen, Minot, director of Project BEE, an organization that provides anti-poverty programs and associated services.
“It’s really important for us to have a good relationship with law enforcement,” said Larsen. “We’re all part of the community, and you’re not going to have a strong community without all these agencies working together – law enforcement, schools, businesses.”
Friendships were made, or reinforced, during the 9 a.m. to noon event. Fishing, how to clean fish, which fish are the best eating, and who is catching them comprised the early chatter. It was exactly what Coffee with a Cop was intended to do.
“It kind of shows we are human just like everybody else,” said Moss. “There’s been times when someone made an initial contact at one of these events, and they remember that positive interaction. They'll call the PD and ask for an officer by name.”
The Minot PD has been hosting Coffee with a Cop since 2016, generally three to four times a year. Coffee with a Cop is held in all 50 states and 26 foreign countries.
