Meet Lower Burrell police officers for coffee Thursday

Lower Burrell police want the public to stop by the station to meet the officers and discuss any issues they may have from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday.

After a two-year hiatus during the covid-19 pandemic, the third yearly meet-and-greet with city police is back. The event also fills the void of the department’s Citizens Police Academy, which has been inactive during the pandemic. The academy educated residents on law enforcement activities and procedures in the city.

“Coffee with a Cop is an evening dedicated to encouraging communication and positive interactions between our police department and the public,” police Chief John Marhefka said.

Residents will have the chance to sit down with the officers to ask questions or just to get to know them, he said.

Other communities, such as Fox Chapel, have offered similar events as a way to encourage residents to learn more about police and to build good relationships with the public.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS office) reported on the importance of the first Coffee with a Cop event more than a decade ago.

The community event with police and residents meeting in a relaxed environment is now practiced nationwide, according to the COPS office.

Bill Bongle, a retired Green Bay, Wis., police captain, previously described the event’s effectiveness: “It is elegant in its simplicity — just have a cup of coffee.”

Coffee with a Cop with be held in the rear parking lot of the police department at Lower Burrell City Hall, 115 Schreiber St.