Officers host Coffee with a Cop

Law enforcement officers took a working coffee break to chat about community issues and build relationships with Ramonans during a Coffee with a Cop session in Starbucks on June 12.

About a half dozen California Highway Patrol officers and San Diego County Sheriff’s Department deputies gathered inside the Starbucks on Main Street to listen to community concerns and answer questions in a relaxed, non-threatening environment. The Coffee with a Cop was among gatherings periodically scheduled in communities throughout San Diego County in an effort to break down barriers and foster one-on-one interaction.

CHP Commander Jason Penner said this was his first Coffee with a Cop experience since transferring to the El Cajon CHP office in December from his post as lieutenant at the San Onofre truck scales facility on Interstate 5.

“We’re trying to get out in the community and have an open forum for people to talk about any concerns they have,” said Penner.

Penner said CHP is also making a push to communicate with the public on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The El Cajon CHP office began posting on social media at the end of 2017 and is a visible presence online with other CHP offices throughout the state.

Some recent posts on the CHP Facebook page included statistics on alcohol-impaired driving crashes, instructions to contact a local area office to register complaints about carpool violators, and tributes to CHP officers who lost their lives while on duty.

Although most of the people conversing with the officers and deputies were casual visitors to Starbucks, Ramona resident Cindy Morris said she was curious about the event after seeing an advertisement on the Starbucks door.

“I just want to give kudos to these guys,” she said, noting that her husband was disappointed that he couldn’t be there as he was traveling. “They do a great job and we’re really lucky.”

Morris queried CHP Public Affairs Officer Travis Garrow on the practicality of stationing officers at Wildcat Canyon and Willow Roads where traffic backs up near the Barona Casino.

“Wouldn’t it be better financially to put a signal there?” she said.

Garrow replied that the casinos pay for traffic control in the area and CHP tries to expedite traffic flow in a chronically congested area.

Other than that, Morris was satisfied with traffic conditions in Ramona and said she believes the channelizers are effective in controlling traffic on state Route 67.

“People just need to slow down,” she said. “If you drive the speed limit, it’s going to be fine.”

Ramona resident Emily Hermes echoed sentiments about being grateful to the officers and deputies for the services they provide.

“We wouldn’t have our freedoms protected if it wasn’t for them,” she said.

Linda Yamasaki stopped in Starbucks with her granddaughter Madison King, who is almost 15-1/2 years old and wanted to ask the CHP officers about driving laws.

King is taking an online driving course and plans to get a permit that she will use for six months before getting her driver’s license in January.

King said she was told she will need to drive with a license for 12 months before she can have a passenger in the car while driving. The officers additionally gave her a pamphlet about the hazards of driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol and a Smart Start pamphlet with tips for safe teen driving.

Garrow said accident rates are high among drivers who are distracted behind the wheel, whether it’s cell phones or passengers riding in the car.

“You put another passenger in there and it’s 100 times more likely there will be an accident,” he said.

One unidentified visitor to Starbucks asked the officers about the legal aspects of driving his daughter-in-law’s truck that is registered in Oregon. The visitor said he was given a ticket but believes the truck shouldn’t be registered in California because it will be returning to Oregon.

“All I’m doing is borrowing it until my truck gets repaired,” he said.

Garrow said all that’s needed is to explain to the judge that the truck will be returning to Oregon.

Robin Oldham, Starbucks district manager in charge of the Ramona outlet, took time to converse with the officers and deputies while overseeing staff serving refreshments to participants.

“It’s really about connecting with the community, and our store managers want to be a part of this,” Oldham said. “Starbucks always wants to make sure we’re connecting with the communities we do business with.”