NUMILA — The next site for the Coffee with a Cop must have good coffee, and space, said Kauai Police Chief Todd Raybuck, Tuesday following the inaugural program at the Kauai Coffee Company Visitor Center
“We definitely want to do this, again,” Raybuck told members of the Kauai Police Commission who had representatives present at the first informal chat session, Tuesday morning. “Maybe we’ll go to the other side of the island? Wherever we settle on, they need to have good coffee, and enough space for all these people.”
A steady stream of people worked their way among Raybuck, the Kauai Police Commission, and a group of police officers in a casual atmosphere of the Kauai Coffee Company lanai area fronting the snack bar and the gift shop.
“This is really good,” said Teressa Daher of Tradewinds Realty who brought along a member of her crew to meet Raybuck, personally. “I serve on several community organizations and task forces, and this gives me a chance to talk with the Kauai Police Department administration without having to go through all the red tape of seeing someone.”
Raybuck said between the people anxious to meet him, the community had a wide range of topics to talk about, including thanking the officers for the work they do to serving on a Neighborhood Watch program.
“Most people only interact with police officers during times of crisis,” Raybuck said in an announcement of the event. “But there is so much more to what my officers do and who they are. This Coffee with a Cop is a chance to connect with them in a relaxed atmosphere and forage a meaningful, trusting bond.”
Shana Cruz, tending to a recently-born infant, was not sure she wanted to attend.
“I thought about it,” Cruz said. “I have children who have a form of autism. They’re cute, now, but what happens when they grow up with the disease? How can we connect with the officers. Chief Raybuck suggested that I bring the children down to the station where he’ll take them on a tour and get them to meet officers who work in the different sections. This is really good to getting everyone to know each other.”
Kauai Police Department officer David Banquel was pleasantly surprised with the turnout.
“There are a lot of people who came just to thank us and tell us how much they appreciate what we do,” Banquel said. “These are people who live in the neighborhoods we work in, and never have the opportunity to talk to us. They also pointed out some areas that we can look into.”
Ron Wood, a board member of the Kauai Crimestoppers, also joined the group armed with promotional material for distribution.
“This is a perfect place to be,” Roy Morita, chair of the Kauai Police Commission said. “These are the people who need to know about Crimestoppers as an option to being the community’s extra eyes and ears.”
Raybuck said he wants to plan more Coffee with a Cop events in other places around the island.
“This is the first one,” he said. “Hopefully, they’ll let me do more. We’ll see.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
