Talk Of The Town August
Coffee With Cops
As you walk into the annual Coffee with Cops in Mansfield, smiling officers greet you. Coffee in one hand, they proffer a welcoming handshake with the other hand. The annual event is a way for local police officers to talk one-on-one with the community fielding questions, addressing concerns.
“We find out first-hand about the public’s concerns and questions,” said Experienced Patrol Officer Trey Kerr, who serves as MPD head of communications. “Someone comes to an event with negativity, because the sight of a man in uniform denotes a bad experience for them. But we’d like to change that perception.”
Similar Coffee with Cops events are held across the country and have been an annual occurrence in Mansfield since 2011. “We do other community outreach as well: meet and greets, fall festivals, neighborhood watches, and cops’ night out,” Officer Kerr said. “We want to make getting together with local law enforcement a routine part of life.”
Officer Kerr takes pride in the role he plays as an officer of the law in Mansfield, a place that’s provided a safe and happy way of life for his family since 1999. “I’d like to change the perception some people have of policemen,” Officer Kerr said. “Helping people is the best part of my day.”
