AJR189

A Joint Resolution designating October as “Coffee with a Cop Month.”

Whereas, The Coffee with a Cop program originated in Hawthorne, California, when officers from the Hawthorne Police Department were looking for ways to break down barriers and interact successfully with the members of their community; and

Whereas, The officers decided to build relationships through the simple and friendly act of hosting an event to share conversation over a cup of coffee; and

Whereas, The first event was hosted by the department on March 13, 2011, and by 2013 it had expanded to become a national training program established through a partnership between the Hawthorne Police Department and the University of Illinois’ Center for Public Safety and Justice; and

Whereas, In 2014, the program expanded internationally when the first Coffee with a Cop program was held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and events now are held around the globe; and

Whereas, In 2016, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), a component within the United States Department of Justice, established the first Wednesday of each October as National Coffee with a Cop Day, on which law enforcement agencies across the United States host Coffee with a Cop events in their local communities; and

Whereas, COPS describes “community policing” as a philosophy promoting organizational strategies that support the systematic use of partnerships and problem-solving techniques to proactively address the immediate conditions that give rise to public safety issues such as crime, social disorder, and fear of crime; and

Whereas, Community policing gives residents more control of the quality of life in their neighborhoods, and helps law enforcement officers gain a better understanding of the unique needs and challenges of their communities in order build trust and respond more effectively to those needs and challenges; and

Whereas, The Coffee with a Cop program is a straightforward and effective community policing tool that can be implemented to establish relationships between members of law enforcement agencies and members of the communities they protect and serve; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. The month of October each year is designated as “Coffee with a Cop Month” in New Jersey in order to encourage law enforcement agencies in the State to promote and host these events as a component of their community policing efforts.

2. The Governor is respectfully requested to issue annually a proclamation recognizing October as “Coffee with a Cop Month” in New Jersey to call upon law enforcement agencies and other interested groups to observe the month with appropriate activities and programs.

3. This joint resolution shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This joint resolution designates the month of October as “Coffee with a Cop Month” in New Jersey in order to encourage law enforcement agencies in the State to promote and host these events as a component of their community policing efforts.

The Coffee with a Cop program originated in Hawthorne, California, when officers from the Hawthorne Police Department were looking for ways to break down barriers and interact successfully with the members of their community. The first event was hosted by the department on March 13, 2011, and by 2013 it had expanded to become a national training program established through a partnership between the Hawthorne Police Department and the University of Illinois’ Center for Public Safety and Justice.

In 2016, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), a component within the United States Department of Justice, established the first Wednesday of each October as National Coffee with a Cop Day, on which law enforcement agencies across the United States host Coffee with a Cop events in their local communities. COPS describes “community policing” as a philosophy promoting organizational strategies that support the systematic use of partnerships and problem-solving techniques to proactively address the immediate conditions that give rise to public safety issues such as crime, social disorder, and fear of crime.

Community policing gives residents more control of the quality of life in their neighborhoods, and helps law enforcement officers gain a better understanding of the unique needs and challenges of their communities in order build trust and respond more effectively to those needs and challenges. The Coffee with a Cop program is a straightforward and effective community policing tool that can be implemented to establish relationships between members of law enforcement agencies and members of the communities they protect and serve.

The resolution calls upon the Governor to issue annually a proclamation recognizing October as “Coffee with a Cop Month” in New Jersey, which calls upon law enforcement agencies and other interested groups to observe the month with appropriate activities and programs.