You’re invited: Share a cup of coffee with a cop

Updated Sept. 30

The Riverhead Town Police Department will again participate in the annual “Coffee with a Cop Day,” which will take place this year on Wednesday, Oct. 2.

Coffee with a Cop is a national program first launched in Hawthorne, California in 2011, the result of a brainstorming session on ways to better connect with the community. The events have now been hosted in all 50 states and the program is considered one of the most successful community-oriented policing programs in the country.

Having a cup of coffee with citizens is “a simple plan to break through the barriers that have been built over the years, whether by  shifting demographics or the shift to different and less personal modes of communication,” according to program organizers. It opens the door for interactions outside of the crisis situations that typically bring law enforcement officers and community members together.

Local police agencies across the country, in communities large and small, have embraced the events as a way to connect with residents and afford police and residents to get to know each other over a cup of coffee. 

Former Chief David Hegermiller initiated “Coffee with a Cop Day” in Riverhead in 2016. 

Riverhead police officers will be at several locations throughout Riverhead from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Community members are invited to stop in for coffee with a cop at:

Wildcat Bagel Deli,  6241 NY-25A, Wading River 

Lolly’s Hut, 1290 Old Country Road, Riverhead 

Village Delicatessen, 316 E. Main Street, Riverhead 

Black Sheep Bagels, 1451 Main Road, Jamesport.

There will be a fifth session at Village Delicatessen from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to an additional “Coffee with a Cop” session at Village Delicatessen on Wednesday evening.