If you’ve ever wanted to just have a cup of coffee and chat with a local officer about police work, now’s your chance!

The Renton Chamber of Commerce, Starbucks, Renton Reporter and the Renton Police Department this week announced the new “Coffee with a Cop” program.  These programs have begun in several states across the US and build a new level of availability and access to your local police department by inviting resident to get to know local law enforcement over a cup of Joe.

Community policing has long been considered a framework for establishing relationships between the community and the police. The importance of trust between officers and residents certainly has not changed. What has dramatically changed, however, is the character and composition of our nation’s communities.

Shifting demographics, greater mobility with longer commutes to and from work, instantaneous communications, and the advent of web-based social networking have forever altered the very concept of community. With this redefinition, community policing itself must gain a contemporary perspective.

So, in this ever-changing world, how can law enforcement personnel engage in quality interactions with the people they serve? Just have a cup of coffee.  Purchase your cup of coffee and sit with a police officer and begin the conversation. This is your chance to have a relaxed, informal one-on-one in a friendly atmosphere.

The event will run from 10 a.m. to noon every Monday from Sept. 12 to Oct. 17 at local Starbucks locations, beginning at 4367 NE Sunset Blvd.

A complete lost of dates and locations are:

Sept. 12: 4637 NE Sunset Blvd.;

Sept. 19: 4112 NE 4th St.;

Sept. 26: 641 Rainier Ave. S.;

Oct. 3: 1785 S. Grady Way E.;

Oct. 10: 601 NE 44th St.; and

Oct. 17: 17901 108th Ave. SE.