Law enforcement officers took a coffee break to talk about community issues and build relationships with Ramon residents during Coffee with a Cop at Starbucks on June 12.
About a half-dozen California Highway Patrol officers and San Diego County sheriff’s deputies gathered at a Starbucks on Main Street to listen to community concerns and answer questions in a relaxed, non-threatening setting. Coffee with a Cop was one of a number of meetings periodically scheduled in communities across San Diego County to break down barriers and promote one-on-one interaction.
CHP Commander Jason Penner said this is his first experience with the Coffee with a Cop program since being transferred to the CHP office in El Cajon in December from his position as lieutenant at the San Onofre Scales off Interstate 5.
“We’re trying to reach out to the community and create an open forum where people can talk about any concerns they have,” Penner said.
Penner said the CHP also tries to communicate with the public on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The CHP office in El Cajon began posting on social media in overdue 2017 and has a noticeable online presence with other CHP offices across the state.
Recent posts on the CHP Facebook page include statistics on drunk driving accidents, instructions on how to contact your local office to file a complaint about rideshare violators, and tributes to CHP officers who have died in the line of duty.
Although most of the people speaking to officers and sheriffs were casual Starbucks patrons, Ramona resident Cindy Morris said she was drawn to the event because she saw an ad on the Starbucks door.
“I just want to give a shout out to these guys,” she said, noting that her husband was disappointed he couldn’t be there because he was traveling. “They’re doing great and we’re really lucky.”
Morris asked CHP public relations officer Travis Garrow whether it was practical to station officers at the intersection of Wildcat Canyon and Willow Roads because of traffic congestion near the Barona Casino.
“Wouldn’t it be better financially to put the signal there?” she asked.
Garrow responded that casinos pay for traffic control in the area and the CHP is trying to improve traffic flow in the chronically congested area.
Otherwise, Morris is pleased with traffic conditions in Ramona and believes the directional devices are effective in controlling traffic on State Route 67.
“People just need to ponderous down,” she said. “If you drive the speed limit, you’ll be fine.”
Ramona resident Emily Hermes expressed gratitude to the officers and sheriffs for the services they provided.
“If it weren’t for them, our freedom wouldn’t be protected,” she said.
Linda Yamasaki stopped at Starbucks with her granddaughter Madison King, who is almost 15 1/2, and wanted to ask the CHP officers about traffic laws.
King is taking an online driving course and plans to get a permit, which she will utilize for six months before getting her license in January.
King said she was told she would have to drive on her licence for 12 months before she could have a passenger in the car while driving. Officers also gave her a pamphlet about the dangers of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and a Sharp Start booklet with advice on sheltered driving for teenagers.
Garrow said crash rates are high among drivers who are distracted behind the wheel, whether it’s on cellphones or passengers in the car.
“If you put one more passenger in there, the likelihood of an accident would augment 100-fold,” he said.
One of the unidentified Starbucks guests asked the officers about the legalities of driving his daughter-in-law’s truck, which was registered in Oregon. The guest said he had been ticketed but believed the truck should not have been registered in California because it would be returned to Oregon.
“All I do is borrow the car until I get the truck fixed,” he said.
Garrow said it was enough to explain to the judge that the truck would be returning to Oregon.
Robin Oldham, the Starbucks district manager responsible for the Ramona outlet, took time to talk with officers and deputies while supervising staff serving drinks to attendees.
“It’s all about connecting with the community, and our store managers want to be a part of that,” Oldham said. “Starbucks always wants to make sure we’re connecting with the communities we do business with.”
