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A growing number of residents are starting their mornings with a cup of coffee under police supervision at the city’s quarterly Coffee with a Cop event.
Dozens took part in this month’s gathering to raise community concerns and offer praise. The Sept. 8 event drew officers to the Elgin Recreation Center at the special request of its morning walking group.
“The community interaction is great. You can come up and talk to us,” Police Chief Chris Noble said. “Unfortunately, people in some instances feel afraid to come up and speak to us. We want to dispel that.”
Noble acknowledged that part of this perception may come from the gear officers wear.
“Some of the equipment that we have to wear now makes us look almost like soldiers,” he said. “I do not like that, but I also have to be realistic. We have to carry a lot of that now just because of the times we live in — particularly medical equipment.”
The department hosts Coffee with a Cop about every two months, with locations rotating between local businesses, churches and venues. Start times also shift to reach more residents, Noble said.
Noble credited new Community Liaison Officer Starr LaSalde for helping expand the department’s outreach efforts.
“She is really driving a lot of the community engagement and getting out information for the event,” he said.
The program has been a staple in Elgin since Noble became chief in 2018, with the exception of a pause during the COVID-19 pandemic — but that is “kind of a lost memory now,” according to the chief.
Noble said the goal of Coffee with a Cop is to make officers more approachable and break down barriers between police and locals.
