National Coffee with a Cop Day in Bellevue

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Saturday is National Coffee with a Cop Day. Law enforcement around the country Saturday morning stationed themselves at local coffee shops, diners, and fast-food places.

Lisa Pietsch wrapped up her morning bike ride and headed over to Elevated Coffee in Bellevue.

“We want to support the police and let them know that we appreciate them. And get to know them,” she said.

A handful of people chatted with officers. There were more officers than coffee-goers. But this isn’t the only event that law enforcement in the area does to encourage positive community relationships.

Thomas Pat Pillow lives in Bellevue. He was in the Air Force and a police officer in Missouri.

“These guys, they stop and talk to me. And I like that in police officers,” said Pillow. “Knowing that officer, knowing that person and building up a trust and say, ‘Hey I know that guy.’ And then they feel that if something happens, they can go to that person and trust that person.”

“Every time you have an interaction with a police officer in a good setting, it gives you confidence that they are there for you,” said Pietsch.

One of the officers Pietsch chatted with was Jess Manning, a resource officer at a Bellevue middle school.

“An event like this, that just gives us the opportunity to I suppose practice talking to people and interacting with them,” said Manning.

Manning said she works to establish trust with law enforcement at a young age.

“I can tell that they’re becoming comfortable with me. And I can hope if they’re comfortable with me, they can be comfortable with the next officer they come across.”

Public events like National Coffee with a Cop Day are just a part of cultivating a community of trust. BPD also puts on other events like National Night Out to help with that same mission of creating a synergy between the public and law enforcement.

“This is just one little piece. We use social media a lot now. And I’m one of the officers who’s on social media on, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. And that’s a great way to reach out to people because so much of the community and world is on social media now,” said Manning.

While Saturday was just one day designated to foster a relationship between law enforcement and the community, there are other things, such as PACE: a sports program with the Omaha Police Department and young people. Omaha Police Department also said they participated in National Coffee with a Cop Day Saturday. They had officers stationed at five locations across Omaha.

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