'It’s nice for us to talk with the community': Coffee with a Cop comes to My House.

For the past few months, residents and visitors to local coffee shops may have noticed a higher than normal number of Wasilla Police Officers engaging in conversations and listening to concerns of citizens, and maybe enjoying a mocha or pastry. This has all been part of an effort to increase community engagement and build relationships.

On Aug. 25, My House in Wasilla hosted “Coffee with a Cop,” marking the first of the monthly visits planned for the program.

“Coffee with a Cop” is modeled after the national movement of the same name, “Coffee with a Cop.” The purpose is to promote community engagement between local law enforcement and the citizens they’ve vowed to protect, in a more casual, relaxed setting.

“It’s been really good, very well received,” said Mike Bonadurer of the WPD. “Any sort of community engagement with the officers is a benefit, but it’s also a nice way for us to talk to the community, not necessarily the law enforcement side.”

The program moves throughout the Wasilla area in order to try and reach more of the community. Previous locations have included Crema and Starbucks.

Among those who came out to My House was Barbara Worley, who wanted to show her support for local law enforcement.

“I saw the event was posted and I thought I should come over and wanted to see what it was all about,” she said.

There were several residents who took advantage of the opportunity to meet and talk with several officers from the Wasilla Police Department, and in turn, the officers were eager to let the community see the human side behind the badge.

“I think it’s one of these things where a lot of people have questions and they don’t always have the resource to reach out and get those questions answered, so to get together and congregate and allow for more candid conversations is another way to build relationships,” said Bonadurer.

Worley agreed that this is a great way for both law enforcement and the community to meet each other in this sort of manner.

“To hear the concerns and to hear the good things, and to learn more about the community is a wonderful idea,” she said.

Working with My House for monthly meetings like this will allow for not only citizens of the community to attend, but also give opportunity to their clients, many of whom have suffered trauma and need to build connections with authority figures.

Partnering with local non-profits allows for increased attendance rates, as sharing the event within those communities allows for more connections to the event.

Some concerns brought to WPD was concern about community trust in law enforcement in light of national movements like “Defund the Police,” seen in the lower 48 in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd, who was killed while in police custody.

“Wasilla, and Alaska as a whole is pretty pro-law enforcement, so we have had some good success when we need the public’s trust and assistance when dealing with specific matters,” noted WPD Officer Nate Lecours, who was also at the “Coffee with a Cop.”

When asked what the officers felt was the biggest area of concern with regards to criminal activity, Officer Lecours said while he didn’t think there was one specific concern, he worries that drugs are a big contributing factor for crime.

Another local citizen attending has dreams of one day becoming a police officer himself. Rebecca Hobbs brought along her son Ryker Rogers, who dressed for the occasion in his own police uniform and came bearing…donuts. Luckily, no one focused on the pun and officers showed Ryker one of the patrol cars and let him proudly wear a real badge.

“This here is why I like doing this, to allow people to so the human behind the badge,” said Lecours. “And if we get a future officer, even better,” he added with a grin.

My House will be hosting a monthly “Coffee with a Cop” on the last Thursday of the month, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Other events can be found on the Wasilla Police Department Facebook page.