SUNBURY, Pa. — Police in Sunbury held a Coffee with the Chief event on Thursday, July 11, in an effort to bridge the gap between officers and their community.
Located outside a local Weis Markets store, Sunbury police partnered with them, and PennDOT funded Highway Safety Network to organize the event.
Tara DeStefano of the Highway Safety Network said that this event was a "nice opportunity to talk to officers," calling it an effort in "community policing."
Community member Leonard Slovinsky of Marion Heights said the aim of the event to "[bring] awareness to the public is perfect because people don't get enough, you know, come in and hang out with the police and talk about stuff."
Sunbury Police Chief Travis Bremigen said one of the first things he wanted to do when he became chief was to bridge the gap between police and the community.
"It's getting to know the citizens. It's getting to know our residents, it's getting to know the kids and letting them know that you know the importance of basically a police officer, you know, we're there to help, not there to hurt anyone, and we're there to help and that's what we will continue to do."
The department said they hope to hold more Coffee with the Chief events sometime in the near future.