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Have Coffee with a Cop in Weymouth

October 7, 2015

As part of the Weymouth Police Department Community Outreach Initiative, Weymouth residents, community groups and business owners are invited to have Coffee with a Cop.

In an effort to build trust and open lines of communication between the community and the police department, Weymouth police are inviting the public to sit down and have one-on-one interaction with police officers in a convenient, local venue to exchange information, address issues and concerns, and gather input about the community.

• Learn about police department functions; units and offerings available to the community
• Officers actively listen and address concerns of the public
• Enjoy a conversation over a cup of coffee (or tea) in an informal setting for an educational and informational experience for both the police officers and Weymouth citizens.

“Some people don’t like to talk in groups, so this gives them an avenue for open communication between police and the citizens of Weymouth.” said Sgt. James St. Croix who was appointed to head the Community Outreach unit this summer. “It’s all about building bridges with the public and the police.”

St. Croix has had one or two meetings a week with Weymouth residents since the program began in August. He and other officers of the Community Outreach unit have met with individuals, couples and community associations in local coffee shops like Dawn Til Dusk. The most common question from the public is about the opiate addiction problem and what police are doing about it.

“People don’t know all the efforts being made by the police department in the background,” said St. Croix.

The Coffee with a Cop program gives officers the opportunity to talk about all the programs that the police department offers, such as DART (Drug Addiction Resource Team) which helps drug addicts get into detox programs and FAST (Family Addiction Support Team) which provides addicts and families with information on available programs and resources.

To Have Coffee with a Cop

Weymouth citizens can sign up to have coffee in their neighborhood with St. Croix and other officers. Applications can be submitted via mail, email or dropped off at the police station at 140 Winter Street in Weymouth. St. Croix said that he does his best to get back to applicants in a timely manner.

The application form is available at http://www.weymouth.ma.us/home/news/coffee-with-a-cop or call St. Croix at 781-927-6287.