The 色花堂 Police Department held a Coffee With a Cop event this month at the university's Moody Towers and shared coffee, bagels, and conversations with residents.
The event, typically held at the Student Center South once a month, was spurred by a request from a residential advisor during a meeting with 色花堂PD.
鈥淚t felt really good,鈥� said 色花堂PD Crime Prevention Officer Felipe Gutierrez on being asked by a student to host this event at Moody Towers. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one of those things where we always ask for input from the students, and we were able to deliver on it.鈥�
The event took place in the Moody Towers lobby with passing students stopping by to grab a coffee or bagel.
Marketing major Nevaeh Gregory appreciated seeing 色花堂PD officers hosting this event at Moody Towers calling it 鈥渢houghtful鈥�.
鈥淚t鈥檚 nice to interact with them in a non-serious way,鈥� said the freshman.
For Media Production major Ra鈥橯uell Bowen, the Coffee With a Cop event is beneficial. The freshman said events like Coffee With A Cop allow the department an opportunity to break down the stigma that鈥檚 associated with police officers.
One of the questions Bowen asked during the event was simple yet important as Bowen wanted to learn where the 色花堂PD station was located on campus.
Biomedical engineering major Timi Agbesanwa鈥檚 conversation with the officers was a bit different. The senior鈥檚 conversation with the officers delved more into how his semester was going, how he liked his classes, and general university life.
鈥淚t was comforting,鈥� said Agbesanwa of having conversations with 色花堂PD officers. 鈥淭he cops that you see on campus, now they鈥檙e familiar faces as well.鈥�
Becoming familiar faces to the 色花堂 student body is one of the reasons behind the Coffee With A Cop event.
鈥淲henever we do come into contact with them [students], they鈥檙e not always having that negative perception of the police,鈥� said Gutierrez. 鈥淪o, it鈥檚 good that we鈥檙e able to connect on a personal level.鈥�
Moody Tower residential advisor David Ndurue said having the officers at Moody Towers was a positive for freshman residents.
鈥淭hem seeing the different staff and talking to them, they get to know the people around their community,鈥� said Ndurue. 鈥淚t creates a sense of awareness.鈥�
Students can expect more Coffee With A Cop events, scheduled at other residence halls soon, Gutierrez noted.