Coffee With A Cop 2020: Events In Reston Area

RESTON, VA — While this year’s national Coffee With A Cop observance was called off recently due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, law enforcement agencies in Reston are moving forward with their own events in hopes of connecting with the communities they serve.

National Coffee With A Cop Day is Oct. 7 this year, and the Reston District Station of the Fairfax County Police Department has the following event planned:

• Coffee with a Cop, 9-11:30 a.m., at Katie’s Coffee House, at 760 Walker Road in Great Falls. Free parking at The Old Brogue.

Coffee With A Cop originally launched in 2011 in Hawthorne, California, a result of officers from the Hawthorne Police Department looking for ways to interact more successfully with the citizens they served.

The event went national in all 50 states in 2016 to promote positive interaction between law enforcement officers and the public. It first started as part of National Community Policing Week and is now held annually the first Wednesday in October.

“Coffee With A Cop is community policing at its core,” former COPS Office Director Ronald L. Davis said in a statement. “The simple act of having a cup of coffee with community members can be the first step in increasing trust and cooperation between the police and the people they serve.”

In a separate statement, Coffee With A Cop administrator Michael Ishii said the past six months for law enforcement have been “some of the most challenging times we have faced in our careers.” But despite nationwide protests and, in some cases, violence, Ishii said it’s “inspiring and humbling to see officers and staff doing their best serving our respective communities.”

White the national observance was postponed, Ishii said it’s up to local agencies to plan and move forward with events if reopening guidelines allow.

“These events are sometimes more important for our officers than for the community,” he said. “It is important that our line-level patrol officers have an opportunity to meet regular folks and have a normal conversation. Coffee With A Cop is the event that allows us to do that.”