Laredo police brew community bonds with ‘Coffee with a Cop’

LAREDO, Tex. (KGNS) - The Laredo Police Department brewed up a special event on Wednesday, October 4, to encourage community engagement and open dialogue between law enforcement and the public. In celebration of National Coffee with a Cop Day, officers extended an invitation to locals, inviting them to share a cup of coffee and conversation.

Stationed at the McDonald’s on Saunders Street from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., members of the community were able to step inside, meet their local officers, and engage in friendly discussions.

This event was particularly notable as it represented the first Coffee with a Cop gathering under the leadership of the newly-appointed Police Chief, Miguel Rodriguez. Chief Rodriguez emphasized the importance of such initiatives in building positive interactions and bridging the gap between the police force and the citizens they serve.

“This is where we connect. This is where we find the issues that we have within the community, and this is where we break that barrier. We try to break that barrier where we want to hear them, and we want to hear how they want to be policed,” Chief Rodriguez explained. “It’s important because they’re the ones who give us the authority to police them. Why not hear them as to how they want to be policed? This is a perfect setting, and this is how we do it almost every other Saturday.”

National Coffee with a Cop Day, observed annually on the first Wednesday of October since its inception in 2016, is an integral part of National Community Policing Week. It provides an opportunity for law enforcement agencies across the nation to connect with their communities and build trust through casual conversations over a cup of coffee.

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