Captain Brad Kellar and Chris Francis tried their hand at making Starbucks drinks and greeted customers through the drive-thru window. Photo provided.

By Caleigh Byrer
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — The Warsaw Police Department participated in the third annual Coffee with a Cop, presented by Starbucks, from 3-5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16. Community members were able to come share a cup of coffee with a few of their local law enforcement officers.

The event was an opportunity for the community to get to know some of the officers, ask questions and bridge the divide between the community and law enforcement.

The relationship between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve has been tested worldwide, especially in recent years. Our local officers want to eliminate any feelings of uneasiness and for the community to see them as the approachable and know there is a safe space for them to talk.

It is especially important to come together with and support our law enforcement officers in times of tragedy, hardship or uncertainty to establish a sense of togetherness. Officers of the Warsaw Police Department were happy to attend the Coffee with a Cop event for this reason.

Five officers of the Warsaw Police Department came out to meet with the community: Captain Brad Kellar, Captain Joel Beam, Lieutenant Ryan Petty, Chris Francis and Sam Bohnke.

The officers stated they had a lot of fun getting to engage with everyone who came. They were very appreciative of the opportunity to level with the community in a relaxed environment.

Our local officers are just as much a part of this community as we are; many people get so wrapped up in what these men and women do occupationally, they forget they are just like us at the end of the day. Events like Coffee with a Cop serve to remind everyone of our similarities and allow people of the community to make friendly connections with law enforcement.

Captain Brad Kellar is shown talking with one of the kids who attended the Coffee with a Cop event. Whitney Dunn, Starbucks manager, noted Kellar was great at making the kids feel comfortable. Photo provided.

Whitney Dunn, Starbucks manager, noted Captain Kellar was really great with the children who came in. Children are sometimes under the impression they should be afraid of law enforcement, but Kellar did his best to correct that narrative.

“We actually had some customers come in to see them before they even got here,” Dunn stated. She also estimated 15 people came into the store specifically for the event, even though it was not advertised much.

National Coffee with a Cop day is in October, but these events happen year-round at various Starbucks locations.

Dunn said the Warsaw location, 1158 Lake City Highway, hopes to do Coffee with a Cop three to four times a year now that the pandemic has subsided.