Crime & Safety

Coffee Club to Commence Oct. 13

A weekly coffee club will enable citizens to talk about issues with Prince George's County police on an informal basis.

On Aug. 10, Patch ran an article about a weekly coffee club, established as a means of encouraging dialogue between College Park residents and Prince George's County Police officers. The coffee club was postponed, but is scheduled to begin on Oct. 13. Residents interested in attending should contact Officer Black at jjblack@co.pg.md.us.

On Wednesdays at 9 a.m., Starbucks on Baltimore Avenue will become the official site of a weekly "coffee club" with Prince George's County police and College Park residents.

The primary purpose of the coffee club is to strengthen the relationship between citizens and police officers, said Captain Edward Walters, who is in charge of the Baker Sector of District 1, which includes College Park.  

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Such a program is intended to address ongoing issues that lack a quick-fix, like adequate street lighting and the presence of vacant lots, which tend to attract criminals. Walters also said the coffee club will be a forum for residents to discuss crime prevention tactics and share strategies, identifying what works in one neighborhood and trying to replicate it in another.

"This is an opportunity to discuss what crimes are occurring, since they may impact several communities," he said. "We can identify those trends a lot sooner, so we can identify what's working and what's not working."

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College Park is ideally suited for such a program because of its existing network of active civic associations, Walters said. He hopes that the coffee club will help strengthen College Park's inter-neighborhood ties.

"It's a way of having communities support each other," Walters said. "If one community doesn't have a strong presence, this network would allow information to be passed along."

Kim Lugo, the Neighborhood Watch coordinator for College Park, said the program will also allow the police a more in-depth understanding of neighborhood issues.

"If there's a loud party, the police can't interfere unless they get a complaint. Maybe residents don't know that," she said. "These are things the officers can explain to citizens, so that the citizens can become more effective."

Though Walters spearheaded the initial effort for the coffee club after seeing the success of a similar program in Clinton, he hopes that community members will step up to organize the meetings, ensuring that they are efficient and productive.

"We want to accomplish things within an hour," he said. "We want to create a forum where you can stop by, have that cup of coffee and continue that on a regular basis.  We want to be able to get a solution in place and move on to the next issue."

Walters also emphasized the importance of making the coffee club a habit for residents, and not just something they attend once.

"We don't expect everyone to be in attendance at every meeting," he said. "But it's not so much about who attends the first meeting. It's who is in it for the long haul."

Want to attend the coffee club? Email Officer Black at jjblack@co.pg.md.us.


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