Police Chief Darren White prepares a cup of coffee during last year’s Coffee with a Cop. This year’s event will be held at the Starbucks inside the Mantua Target store.
Mantua police will host the annual Coffee with a Cop event on Tuesday, Oct. 10, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the Starbucks inside Mantua’s Target store.
The event offers residents the chance to drop into the Sewell location at any point during the three-hour activity and enjoy coffee with a township officer. They can bring up concerns about the community or just chat. The coffee is free.
“Residents can expect to meet our K-9 unit, see our police cars and interact with officers on a personal level rather than during a time of need,” said Lt. Brian Hauss. “Residents can bring concerns they have from the town and also meet some of our elected officials.”
A number of notable people in both Mantua and Wenonah – the two towns share a police department – are expected to swing by and talk to residents and law-enforcement. One of them will be Mayor Robert Zimmerman.
“I wholeheartedly support this type of community policing initiative and any outreach programs of any kind,” the mayor noted. “I plan on attending with other township committee members in order to show support of our police department and to meet and greet residents of our community. We’re looking forward to it.”
Members of the Gloucester County SWAT team and New Jersey State Police mounted riders are expected to attend, and since the event is held during National Fire Prevention week – Sunday, Oct. 8, to Saturday, Oct. 14 – members of the Mantua fire department will also be on hand.
This is the first year police are partnering with Target as the event location. Past hosts included a Wawa; a Dunkin Donuts; and, in last year’s case, at a Wenonah park.
Coffee with a Cop is also a national event held on dates in early October, depending on the individual police department. Officers from all over the U.S. and the world participate, according to the event website. It was first started in 2011 by police in Hawthorn, California.
