“Fred Cowell has to go,” announced Kaua‘i Police Department Chief Todd G. Raybuck Tuesday during the second Coffee With A Cop event held at the Kaua‘i Coffee Visitor Center. “He’s got a meeting to tend to.”
Cowell, Kaua‘i Coffee general manager, spent most of the time talking with the different officers who showed up at the visitor center an hour before its normal operating hours.
“I came special because I knew the officers were going to be here,” said Tammy Pu‘u of The Club at Kukui‘ula. “I’m not here for Kuku‘iula, though. I’m wearing my Keiki and High School Rodeo hat, and I want to start conversation on more opportunities for the keiki and high school riders.”
Visitors to the island started to mix into the crowd, many of them thrilled by the opportunity to be in the informal gathering of law enforcement officers. Donna and Wilbur Calhoun of Utah spent the entire Coffee With A Cup bending the ear of officers on their support and love for law enforcement officers.
The success of the second informal meeting with the community and the KPD encourages Raybuck to look at future Coffee With A Cop.
“With our first Coffee With A Cop being such a success in Kapa‘a, we look forward to bringing this great event to other areas of the island,” Raybuck said. “We really encourage people to join us and chat about your concerns and any other topics you’d like to discuss with hopes of making this an ever safer place to live.”
Coffee With A Cop is entirely agenda-free, and the public is welcome to discuss topics such as crime prevention with officers, one-on-0ne.
“We are here for you, and we want people to feel comfortable talking to us, which is why we host these in such a relaxed setting,” Raybuck said. “Now that we are able to hold events like this again, we expect more to happen around the island in the coming months. Please stay tuned to find out when we’ll be in your neighborhood.”
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
