Lake County >> Coffee and donuts — if the cliches are to be believed, perhaps there are no two items more quintessential to a police officer. So there was no place more fitting for last week’s Coffee With a Cop event, hosted by the Lakeport Police Department and the California Highway Patrol, than Suzie Q’s in Lakeport. Officers from the Lakeport Police Department, the CHP and the Lake County Sheriff’s Office came out to meet with about 75 members of the public for a laid-back morning of conversation at the local donut shop.
There was no agenda and no topics planned. It was simply an opportunity for residents to speak with their local law enforcement in a stress-free setting, about anything on their minds. Lakeport Chief of Police Brad Rasmussen found that many people in attendance were looking to discuss neighborhood safety and crime and under what circumstances officers should be called.
The event was about “really just opening ourselves up to an opportunity to speak with the public and creating hopefully a nice dialogue in building relationships,” said Lt. Hector Paredes with the CHP’s Clear Lake Area office. “These types of gatherings are really driven by the community.”
Unfortunately, most people only interact with the police when they’ve been in an accident, they’re receiving a citation or they’ve fallen victim to a crime. And this has left a bad taste in some people’s mouths. “I look for any of these opportunities … where the community can be involved with us and speak with us in a better light,” said Lt. Paredes, “and hopefully create a relationship that allows the community to look at law enforcement as being approachable.”
Last week’s event wasn’t the first of its kind here in Lake County. The Clearlake Police Department hosted Coffee with a Cop at the end of March and the CHP held the event at Middletown’s Cowpoke Cafe before that, at the beginning of last month. Though attendance at Middletown’s Coffee With a Cop wasn’t nearly as high as Lakeport’s, Lt. Paredes still felt the morning was successful in terms of spreading the word. Afterwards, the CHP received hundreds of comments and likes on the photos of Coffee With a Cop they’d shared via Facebook.
It likely helped with the high turnout at the Lakeport event. Not only were police officers and the general public present, but members of the Lake County Probation Department, the Lake County District Attorney’s Office and Lakeport City Council Members came out for the morning as well. “I believe that people wanted to come and interact with the police, talk with them and ask questions without calling them on a regular day,” said Chief Rasmussen. “I think it was very successful in the amount of people that were there.”
And in light of the recent death of Deputy Jake Steely, a tip jar was placed on Suzie Q’s counter to collect money for his family during the event. They raised over $500. On top of that, the donut shop donated back their profits, around $400.
All in all, it was an excellent event on a number of fronts, and it couldn’t have been done without the support of local businesses. In addition to Suzie Q’s, who gladly hosted the event, AAA Welding and Fabrication in Lakeport offered their support, paying for all donuts purchased that morning. Other establishments are eagerly offering up their spaces for future events. And so it seems that Coffee With a Cop is an event both needed and appreciated by a number of community members, be they law enforcement or ordinary citizens.
The Lakeport Police Department is hoping to host another event within the next couple months and the CHP have similar plans. “We really just want to look for opportunities to partner with the community and let them know that we’re their police,” said Lt. Parades.
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
