Courtney Prielipp | Photo Editor
Public Safety hosted Coffee with a Cop on Feb. 12 at WCC. This event is hosted every semester, allowing students to grab a coffee and a donut while getting to know the people who keep campus safe. Many students came to the Java Spot in the Student Center to ask questions and say thank you to the officers who keep our campus safe.
The Hawthorne Police Department Community Affairs Unit felt the best way to break through barriers that have been building up over the years are with a cup of coffee. The key to why Coffee with a Cop was a growing success was through opening the door for interactions outside of emergency situations that would normally bring law enforcement and the community together.
After signing in to the event, students had their pick of free donuts and coffee. According to the Coffee with a Cop website, the event was created to break down barriers between police officers and the community they serve.
Deputy Chief Derran Shelby (left) and Abbie Burkmen, an engineering student, listen to Patrick O’Donnell, a chemical engineer, as he asks his question. Coffee with a Cop allows a comfortable environment where the public is able to ask questions and have discussions with their local officers.
Derek Self (left) discusses with Officer Paul Gomez a wide variety of questions, ranging from how the hiring process works for police officers to how to take responsibility for people and their actions.
Rhyan Hopson (left), a communication major, begins a conversation with Officer Paul Gomez. Gomez said that the most asked questions he got were about how long it takes to become a police officer, what he likes about the job and what he doesn’t like about the job.
Students gather at the table to sign in for the event to earn their free donut and coffee. National Coffee with a Cop Day is held on the first Wednesday of October annually. This year, the eighth annual National Coffee with a Cop Day will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025.
Deputy Chief Derran Shelby listens to a group of students asking questions. Shelby said he was asked questions about how to respond to a protest, racism and unfair treatment.
Officer Paul Gomez (left) and Anastasia Mitchell, a WTMC student, start having a small conversation just by saying hello. Coffee with a Cop is a national event that happens in all 50 states and has even expanded to Canada, Europe, Australia, Africa and Latin America.
“Did you play Pokemon Go,” asked Oleander Rialey to Deputy Chief Derran Shelby. Shelby said that he didn’t play Pokemon Go, but he does say he plays video games. Shelby has been playing video games since he was little.
Coffee with a Cop was held in the Java Spot in the Student Center. The first Coffee with a Cop event was launched in March 2011 in Hawthorne, California by the Hawthorne Police Department Community Affairs Unit.
