The Snoqualmie-North Bend Police Department and local troopers from Washington State Patrol invite community members to join them for Coffee with a Cop 8 to 10 a.m., Friday, Nov. 17 at the Starbucks inside Safeway on Snoqualmie Ridge.

Coffee with a Cop gives community members an opportunity to discuss concerns or engage in friendly conversation in an effort to improve trust and build relationships.

This will be the third Coffee with a Cop event held by SPD and WSP. Police Chief Phipps said he will be scheduling these every other month to give citizens a chance to have one-on-one conversations with their police officers.

Coffee with a Cop began in 2011 in Hawthorne, Calif., and in less than five years, these events have been hosted in all 50 states and is one of the most successful community-oriented policing programs across the country. The program has also expanded to outside the Unites States to Canada, Europe, Australia and Africa.

“This is a great event to bring the community together with area law enforcement and engage with one another,” Nick Almquist, Captain of Snoqualmie-North Bend Police Department, said. “We look forward to having a conversation with the citizens we serve.”

The key to Coffee with a Cop’s growing success is that it opens the door for interactions outside of the crisis situations that typically bring law enforcement officers and community members together.

For more information about the Coffee with a Cop, visit http://coffeewithacop.com/community.