NEWBERRY – Join your neighbors and members of the Newberry Police Department on Tuesday, May 16 for Coffee with a Cop. The gathering will be held at Starbucks in Newberry (1216 Wilson Road) from 8-10 a.m.

Police Chief Kevin Goodman said the store manager of Starbucks, Lora Barnes, reached out to him about putting the event together to allow the community to connect with the police department through casual conversation.

“I’d seen other Starbucks’ do this event to get closer to the community, which is something I’d love to do for the store and for myself, being new to Newberry,” Barnes said.

Goodman said an event like this is about building community relationships and creating an atmosphere for open, honest, respectful dialogue.

“A clear path of communication could tear down a lot of barriers between law enforcement and the community,” he said.

Coffee for the event will be provided by Starbucks, Goodman said.

While Barnes said she and Goodman had not discussed the potential for how often the event would occur, she said it was something she would like to host annually.

Reach Elyssa Haven is the Public Relations Coordinator at the City of Newberry.