By Jennifer Kohlhepp, Staff Writer
Princeton police fielded personal questions as well as local and national concerns during the first-ever "Coffee with a Cop" program at Panera Bread on Saturday.
Rain didn’t put a damper on the event, which brought a steady stream of locals to Sgt. Geoffrey Maurer, Corporal Marla Montague and patrol officers Kim Carter, Merv Arana and Mike Strobel from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
"I’d walk through thunder to get here," Princeton resident Kari Hoover said.
She spoke with Patrolwoman Carter over breakfast and commended the police for both hosting the event and their work throughout town.
"I appreciate them to the fullest," Ms. Hoover said.
Sgt. Maurer organized "Coffee with a Cop" with the support of Capt. Nick Sutter in an effort for police to get to know the people of Princeton on a more personal level.
"We don’t have interaction other than pulling people over or meeting them when we’re going out on calls," Sgt. Maurer said, adding that he’ll walk into a place to buy a cup of coffee and "instead of saying hello people are running out to feed the meter."
He also said there should be more interaction between college students and the police department.
"Maybe we could have an event on campus," he said.
Sgt. Maurer said college students come to Princeton from all over the world and have different levels of trust when it comes to their personal belongings.
"A lot of people become victims because they are so trusting," he said.
When speaking to a group of college students that gathered at the event, he cautioned them about the importance of having lights on their bikes at night and locking their bikes up when unattended.
Discussions ran the gamut, with police answering questions about the department’s bomb sniffing dog that helps perform building searches, national issues that have put police firearm use in the spotlight and local concerns about pedestrian safety and traffic issues.
"A couple of university students were asking questions about our department and public safety," Patrolman Strobel said. "I was also asked what’s the craziest call I’ve ever been on and questions about how to become a police officer."
Many of the conversations ended with the police talking about the department’s Nixle account, which is a communication service that allows the police to send important community information to residents via email and cellular phone.
Christina Rothman-Iliff was also on hand to discuss Access Princeton, which is a new township department that she works in that handles non-emergency issues such as missed trash pickups, storm water clogs, broken streetlights and signs, downed trees and unsafe buildings. To report issues in town, call Access Princeton at 609-924-4141 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, she said.
Since the event was so successful, the police would like to organize similar events in different parts of town, citing McCaffery’s as a possible location for a future "Coffee with a Cop."
"Yes, I would like for us to do this again," Patrolman Strobel said.
"I just think it’s great to meet people from town and meet students," Sgt. Maurer said. "I’m happy people came out for the event, even if it just was to stop by and say what a great job we’re doing. It’s not often that we get positive feedback."
