Have Coffee With A Sarasota Cop

SARASOTA, FL — Sarasota area residents who want to get to know the men and women on the local beat a little better will get their chance next week. The Sarasota Police Department has announced an upcoming Coffee with a Cop session.

The Thursday, Dec. 8 event is set to take place from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the 12th Street Café, 1100 N. Tuttle Ave., Unit 1. Coffee with a Cop is designed to provide residents with a chance to talk to officers, ask questions and learn more about how the Sarasota Police Department works with neighborhoods throughout the city.

“We hope that community members will feel comfortable to ask questions, bring concerns, or simply get to know our Officers,” said Chief Bernadette DiPino. “These interactions are the foundation of community partnerships.”

The program is staged on a semi-regular basis because the majority of contacts between officers and residents happen in emergency situations, the agency explained in an email to media.

“Those situations are not always the most effective times for relationship building with the community and some community members may feel that Officers are unapproachable on the street,” the email said. “Coffee with a Cop breaks down barriers and allows for a relaxed, one-on-one interaction."

Coffee with a Cop is a national program supported by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Sarasota began hosting its Coffee with a Cop events in February 2014.

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