Modesto police plan more Coffee With a Cop gatherings

The Modesto Police Department will begin a new series of Coffee With a Cop gatherings Tuesday. The four events over the next few months in the department’s southern, central, northwest and northeast divisions offer residents a chance to have informal conversations with police representatives.

On Tuesday, people can drop by Don Juan Foods, 1731 Crows Landing Road, between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. The department’s guest that morning will be Rep. Jeff Denham.

The three other Coffee With a Cop gatherings are scheduled for:

▪ April 5, 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., McDonald’s restaurant, 3430 Tully Road

▪ May 3, 9 to 11 a.m., Village Baking Company, 1700 McHenry Ave.

▪ June 7, 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., Old Plantation by The Cottonwood Cafe, 3020 Floyd Ave.

The events are meant to provide an inviting, neutral atmosphere that fosters open communication and relationship building between community members and police staff, according to a department news release. Community members are encouraged to share concerns and suggestions and ask questions of department representatives about the neighborhoods in which they live. No formal presentations will be made.

“A lot of community members thank officers for their service. A lot of them have questions, anything from Neighborhood Watch to dispatch questions,” department spokeswoman Heather Graves told The Bee during a Coffee With a Cop event in January. “The most common questions are about drug activity and criminal activity in their neighborhoods.”

This story was originally published March 24, 2016 at 9:09 AM with the headline "Modesto police plan more Coffee With a Cop gatherings."