Officers from the Indiana University Police Department-Northwest (IUPD-NW) invite IU Northwest students, faculty and staff, as well as members of the community, to come together Wednesday, April 15 to discuss community issues and build relationships.
The IU Northwest Coffee with a Cop event will take place from 9 until 11 a.m. in the RedHawk Cafeteria, located in the Moraine Student Center.
The morning’s meet-and-greet will be an informal conversation providing campus and community members the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the department’s work, both on the IU Northwest campus, as well as in the community, most specifically in Gary, Ind.
IUPD-NW Chief of Police Patricia Nowak said that the Coffee with a Cop event, now in its third year, is an opportunity for the campus, and community, to get to know the officers and what they do to build positive relationships with the citizens they serve.
Most often, Nowak said, the interaction that law enforcement officers traditionally have with the public occurs during emergencies, or emotional situations, which are not the most effective times for relationship building.
Similar community-based efforts include the Citizens’ Police Academy, the Youth Citizens’ Police Academy, and the annual Shop with a Cop program, among others.
“The concept of community policing efforts is to build trust with our constituents,” Nowak said. “The IUPD-NW sees great value in getting to know, and serving the needs of not only the IU Northwest campus, but also the citizens of Northwest Indiana.”
For more information, please contact the IU Police Department-Northwest at (219) 980-6501.