Another round of coffee and cops

GREENWOOD LAKE — It was an opportunity for the Town of Warwick Police Department to hold a joint "Coffee with a Cop" event with the Greenwood Lake Police Department.

And on Saturday, March 5, representatives from each department met with local citizens at the Village Buzz Cafe, 91 Windermere Ave. in Greenwood Lake.

Addressing the concerns of local residents at an informal sit-down in a local café has become a popular way for police and the citizens they serve to discuss community issues.

This third-time event had its beginnings in California and then spread across the nation. On a national level, the mission of "Coffee with a Cop" is to break down the barriers between police officers and the citizens they serve.

Community residents can sit down with officers and ask questions or share what's on their mind. And in a short time, citizens and police officers get to know each other and discover mutual goals for the communities they live in and serve.

On Saturday Greenwood Lake resident Richard Piazza, for example, was interested in general police duties and practices and how they have changed to improve the safety of the community over the years.

Warwick Police Department Lt. John Rader explained that new equipment and training, such as the carrying and the proper use of the Taser, an electroshock weapon used to subdue a potentially dangerous person, protects the officer while avoiding the more lethal use of his or her firearm.

He added that another recent life-saving device that police officers now carry is Naloxone for opiate overdose situations.

- Roger Gavan