Residents of west Hawai‘i are getting a unique opportunity to engage with their local law enforcement in a series of casual gatherings known as Coffee With a Cop events throughout September. The Hawai‘i Police Department's Kona Community Policing Section is hosting these events with the aim of opening up dialogue and fostering a sense of community between the public and their district police officers, according to an announcement by the police department. The emphasis is on informality and openness; there's no agenda or formal structure marking the conversations that might range anywhere from shared personal narratives to the hashing out of neighborhood concerns.
According to the Hawai‘i Police Department, this month’s gatherings will be held from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. at various coffee shops across Kona. The first meeting took place earlier this morning at Kona Heaven Coffee, and the next is scheduled for Friday, September 19, at Kona Mountain Coffee Co., offering multiple opportunities for different segments of the community to participate.
For those interested in seizing this opportunity for face-to-face interaction with Kona’s Community Policing Officers, additional dates include Wednesday, September 24, at Uncle Kimo's Coffee Shop and Friday, September 26, at Kona Coffee & Tea. Questions about the events, or about the Coffee with a Cop program in general, can be directed to the Kona Community Policing Section at (808) 326-4646, extensions 257, 258, or 259
