Sgt. Gary Bellinghausen has been a member of the Carroll Police Department for over 17 years, and just recently has taken on a new role as an Investigator and Public Relations director for the force. He said in a little less than a year, they have begun developing ways to introduce more law enforcement education into the schools and to open up educational offerings to civic groups. They have also designed a new program, Coffee with Cops, to give officers a chance to get to know the public better, but more importantly, to let the public get to know them.
Bellinghausen said quite a few community members come to the Police Department offices every day to ask questions. To help facilitate these conversations and make people more comfortable, the department will be initiating the Coffee with Cops program, kicking off during National Police Officer’s week, May 15 through the 21.
The first event will be taking place on Thursday, May 19, at Queen Beans beginning at 10 a.m. Bellinghausen said he hopes people will stop by and ask questions they may have about the department and on topics of interest, such as scams that are making the rounds or how to protect their personal property from the recent thefts taking place out of vehicles in the area. As he said, at times, Coffee with Cops may have a pre-determined topic of interest identified, but they will always be open to talking to any of the citizens about concerns they may have. Bellinghausen will be present at each one of the Coffee with Cops events and he says their goal is to have two to three officers available. Chief Brad Burke will be stopping by to interact with residents as his schedule allows. More information on the program can be found on the Carroll Police Department web and Facebook pages.
