Coffee with a Cop: A monthly meet and greet with the Prairie Village Police Department

Photo courtesy of Officer Travis Gray

Every four to six weeks a local coffee shop hosts  “Coffee with a Cop” — a meet and greet with local Prairie Village police officers.The meeting, which lasts two hours, brings the community together to catch up on local events

Coffee with a Cop” is intentionally scheduled at locations in the center of the community, like at Starbucks in the Village and Panera in Corinth Square so everyone has easy access. The meetings are open to all and anyone can ask specific questions or just join in for the talks to learn more about what’s going on in Prairie Village. 

About five to six cops from different areas of the department come and answer all of the city’s questions — whether it’s about shoplifters in local department stores or package thefts occurring in neighborhoods.

There are detectives, police officers, a D.A.R.E. officer and sometimes the PVDP Chief of Police makes an appearance. Along with the cops, Mayor Eric Mikkelson also attends. 

According to Officer Gray, the event is intended for police to build relationships in the community in a casual way — their goal is to hear people’s opinion and also spread awareness. The police want to create a comforting environment where they will listen to any problems, proving they don’t only handle crime.

The cops also love hearing community input — they were asking at the last meeting about lockdown drills. They enjoy hearing students’ and parents’ ideas on the topic, especially since there was recently another school shooting in Georgia, according to D.A.R.E. Officer Wolf.  

Another way police connect with the community is through hosting similar events for children. They provide “Cookie with a Cop” and “Cone with a Cop” every year where kids can come and check out police gear, cars and their flashing lights.

Along with coffee there’s food, small giveaways and gun locks for adults. And for the children, they give stuffed animals, whistles and stickers.

They rely upon press releases through news channels as a way to inform citizens about the event. Another way to keep up with their activity is by checking their Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages. Community members can keep up with social media or the news to learn about the next chance to attend Coffee with a Cop and hear from the Prairie Village Police Department.