WHITMIRE — It’s not everyday that members of the community can sit down with a police officer and express their concerns.
Monday morning, the Town of Whitmire held Coffee with a Cop in hopes to make these interactions between the community and law enforcement less intimidating and more inviting.
For resident Peggy Brickles, Coffee with a Cop allowed her to meet the officers that protect the community and to become familiar with the newly implemented Smart911 system.
“I’m not familiar with it, but I’ve talked to a couple of the officers here about it and I think it’s a good idea, especially if you’re elderly or if you have health problems,” said Brickles.
Brickles said that after talking with the officers, she would consider signing up for Smart911 and attending more Coffee with a Cop events.
“We’ve lived here for 10 years and I know very few of the officers. But when you need them, they’re there. All you have to do is call,” said Brickles.
Whitmire Mayor Billy Hollingsworth also came out to sit down with officers and talk over a cup of coffee.
“This gives people the opportunity to meet their officers and know whose taking care of them. Public safety is very important to, not only the Town of Whitmire, but all communities, counties and states, so this is an excellent way to get to know each other,” said Hollingsworth.
Community outreach proved to be a common value among those in attendance, including Newberry County Sheriff Lee Foster.
“Coffee with a Cop gives the citizens a better opportunity to interact with their law enforcement in a casual environment. Most people don’t interact with law enforcement unless they call or it’s a bad situation, but this gives a chance to come in and talk,” said Foster. “The other thing is, when we have large community meetings, some people may feel intimidated by the large crowd. Here, you can get face time with actual police officers and deputies.”
During Coffee with a Cop, citizens were also able to enroll in the new Smart911 system.
“We believe that the ability to know medical conditions, emergency cutoffs, conditions of those with special needs and just having those resources truly can be life-saving and you’re putting it at the fingertips of the people who matter,” said Chief Deputy Todd Johnson. “They can also put emergency contact information in there, which is huge because we need to know who to notify or what family to call. So this gives those dispatchers the ability to call family members and tell them that their loved one has been transported to the hospital.”
There are currently around 500 registered Smart911 users. Anyone interested in signing up for Smart911 can go to www.smart911.com or www.newberrycountysheriff.com and follow the link to sign up.
