Last Friday, I followed the scent of coffee and the sounds of conversation and arrived at a room full of police officers and civilians. I snuck in to swipe their supply of complimentary coffee, and was abruptly accosted for a conversation.

That’s how I found out about North Dakota State’s “Coffee with a Cop,” an informal open-house where community members can stop in to chat with local law enforcement officers to get to know them better and discuss any concerns or issues. Police departments around the U.S. are getting involved in the event to build closer connections with their communities.

Yes, there were donuts. No, the police officers didn’t eat all of them.

I had the opportunity to chat with Sergeant Brandie Dixon, who helped organize the event.

“We want to be more to the community than just people wearing uniforms,” Dixon said. “This is a nice way to have interactions with the community that are more personal.”

Since part of the reason for the event was to discuss important issues, I brought up something of particular concern at the moment — police accountability and body cams.

“Accountability is important, and body cams and dash cams are a good idea,” Dixon said. “It’s definitely something we have talked about, but haven’t implemented because of funding. There are a lot of hidden costs in running systems like that, which most people might not realize.”

In addition to the cameras themselves, it is necessary to keep servers to store the footage, cover storage fees and enlist the help of IT to keep the systems in working order.

“With the cost of the technology, it would take hundreds of thousands of dollars for an agency to implement,” Dixon noted.

“Coffee with a Cop” is not yet a recurring event at NDSU, although Dixon mentioned that the University Police department would like to turn it into a regular event, depending on turnout.

Keep your eyes peeled for the next opportunity to snag a few donuts, guzzle some coffee, chat with an officer and walk away with a complimentary stress ball.