GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – The Green Bay Police Department invited the public out for coffee and conversation Tuesday morning with an event called Coffee with a Cop.
It was held at Kavarna Coffeehouse at 143 N. Broadway St. in Green Bay.
Officer Andrew Lentz has been with the department for 10 years and attended the event. He says despite the riots in Milwaukee recently, he’s seen just the opposite here in Titletown.
“It means a lot to have people reach out to you to come up to say thank you, to know that you’re appreciated. I think we always were but it wasn’t always shared as freely as it is now.”
Lentz says community engagement and open conversation is key to curbing violence between law enforcement and the public.
“I think it helps humanize us. We’re people, you know, we wear a uniform but we’re people, so getting to connect as people in a comfortable environment, really helps us.”
The police department will continue to strive to make lasting connections with the communities they serve with events like this one. Coffee with a Cop is a national initiative supported by the U.S. Department of Justice. Similar events are held across the country.
