Fayetteville police, residents bond over coffee
FAYETTEVILLE (WTVD) -- Militarization of police. Home security. Community Watch. Or just a plain 'Hey, how are you doing?'
You name it, and they talked about it over a hot cup of Joe.
Coffee With A Cop is the latest effort by Fayetteville police to connect with the community. On Friday, the department held its third event, where they get one-on-one with Fayetteville residents.
"I love it," said longtime Fayetteville resident, Carrie Teachey.
Teachey has lived in the city nearly five decades. She's interested in helping to form a Community Watch in her Robinwood neighborhood. She's also looking forward to knowing officers better.
"I'm retired so I do a lot of traveling," said Teachey. "So I would like for the police to know when I'm gone, so they can check on my house."
"And I think I'd feel safer if I know some police individually," she continued.
Coffee With A Cop is a national initiative supported by the Department of Justice. Friday's event was held at a Burger King on Raeford Road. FPD switches up the locations and times each month.
"We hope that community members will feel comfortable to ask questions, bring concerns, or simply get to know our officers," said Chief Harold Medlock in a news release. "These interactions are the foundation of community partnerships."
The program aims to advance the practice of community policing through improving relationships between police officers and community members, one cup of coffee at a time.
