Meet campus officers, discuss community issues
Officers from the Indiana University Police Department-Northwest (IUPD-NW) invite IU Northwest students, faculty and staff, as well as members of the community, to come together on Tuesday, Oct. 1 to discuss community issues and build relationships.
The inaugural IU Northwest Coffee with a Cop will take place from 8 until 10 a.m. in the RedHawk Cafeteria, located in the Moraine Student Center. The local event is one of several taking place nationwide as part of a U.S. Department of Justice initiative.
The morning’s meet-and-greet will be an informal conversation providing campus and community members the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the department’s work, both on the IU Northwest campus, as well as in the community, most specifically in Gary, Ind.
“We hope that the campus and community will feel comfortable to ask questions, bring concerns, or simply get to know our officers,” said IUPD-NW Chief of Police Patricia Nowak. “It is important that the campus, and community, have an awareness of what we do, and how we serve. Building relationships builds trust.”
Most often, the interaction that law enforcement officers traditionally have with the public occurs during emergencies, or emotional situations, which are not the most effective times for relationship building, Nowak explained.
A commitment to community engagement efforts, such as Coffee with a Cop, has become more greatly embedded into the mission of IUPD-NW since Chief Nowak joined the squad in July 2012.
Similar community-based efforts include the Citizens’ Police Academy, the Youth Citizens’ Police Academy, and the annual Shop with a Cop program, among others.
IUPD-NW is also actively involved in community-wide policing efforts by assisting in the crime analysis conducted by Joe Ferrandino, Ph.D., associate professor of criminal justice in the IU Northwest School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
The Region STOP team, a regional team of officers who work collectively to attack criminal violence and property crimes, also has the cooperation of IUPD-NW.
“The concept of community policing efforts is to build trust with our constituents,” Nowak said. “The IUPD-NW sees great value in getting to know, and serving the needs of not only the IU Northwest campus, but also the citizens of Northwest Indiana.”
Thanks to Comfort’s Catering and Darlene Adams for donating the coffee and facilities for Coffee with a Cop.
For more information, please contact the IU Police Department-Northwest at (219) 980-6501.
About Coffee with a Cop
Coffee with a Cop is a national initiative supported by The United States Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. The program aims to advance the practice of community policing through improving relationships between police officers and community members one cup of coffee at a time.
About Indiana University Northwest – What Matters. Where it Matters.
As one of seven Indiana University campuses, IU Northwest leads the region as the premier, urban campus dedicated to serving the needs of more than 6,000 students from the state’s most diverse and industrialized region. Committed to helping its local Northwest Indiana communities thrive, IU Northwest is best-known for providing a personal, quality and affordable education close to home. IU Northwest positions its students to be leaders with more than 70 undergraduate, graduate and pre-professional degree options available from the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Health and Human Services, the School of Business and Economics, and the School of Education. The campus is also host to IU School of Medicine-Northwest, which actively involves students in research and local healthcare needs through its four-year medical doctorate program. For more information, please visit www.iun.edu.