‘Pizza With a Cop’ Event Aims to Build Lines of Communication With Residents
Posted June 20, 2022Photo caption: The success of the "Coffee With a Cop" program has led the Belleville Police Department to create a "Pizza With a Cop" event.
Photo credit: Belleville Police Department
The Belleville Police Department is building relationships, one slice at a time.
The public is invited to the first “Pizza With a Cop” event scheduled for Thursday, June 23 at Algieri's Pizza, 502 Union Ave. from 6 to 8 p.m.
On the heels of the popular “Coffee With a Cop” morning meet-ups, Pizza With a Cop provides a dinnertime opportunity for residents to meet members of the Belleville Police Department in a casual, relaxed setting.
“This is all about meeting even more residents, building more lines of communication and starting new conversations,” said Sgt. Anthony Abate, who is organizing the event. “It’s about getting to know the people who we serve and protect every day and for them to get to know us, too.”
Fostering connections with the community has been a mission of the police department under Chief Mark Minichini. That’s why 10 to 20 police personnel will be on hand Thursday representing a cross section of the department. For instance, there will be patrol officers and supervisors, longtime veterans and newer officers. Some police personnel are coming by on their day off, others are dropping in during their work break, and still others will be coming by after their shift is over.
Abate said that during the “Coffee With a Cop” events, residents took the opportunity to mention traffic concerns or quality of life issues they may be observing in the community. Other times, residents seize on the moment to give a simple but heartfelt “thank you” to the police.
“And since this is a different environment, and they’re not speaking with us while we’re out and about and in between calls, they feel more at ease,” Abate said.
“Pizza With a Cop” will also be an opportunity for Belleville police to inform the public about other initiatives on the horizon. For instance, the police will be launching Operation Chill. 7-11 donated 300 vouchers, which police will distribute to children they observe performing a good deed around the town.
Pizza With a Cop is also about community-building, Abate said. That even includes the owners of Algieri’s Pizza, which is providing the pizza.
“It’s about bringing everyone together and reminding ourselves that we’re all in this together,” Abate said.