Coffee with a Cop is a national initiative that aims to build trust between community members and police officers, one cup of coffee at a time.

It’s a simple concept. Police and community members come together in an informal, neutral space to discuss community issues, build relationships, and drink coffee. The majority of interactions law enforcement has with the public happen during emergencies or emotional situations. Those situations are not always the most effective times for relationship building with the community, and some community members may feel that officers are unapproachable on the street. Coffee with a Cop provides the opportunity to break down communication barriers.

One of the keys to the program’s success in other communities is that it removes the physical barriers that routinely exist, allowing for the relaxed, one-on-one interactions which are the necessary foundation of partnerships. Informal contact in a friendly atmosphere increases trust between police officers and members of our community which is critical to public safety and problem-solving. Coffee with a Cop provides a unique opportunity for community members to ask questions and learn more about the department’s work in the City's neighborhoods. Community members come to a local Coffee with a Cop for a variety of reasons, but no matter why they participate, they are likely to leave with a better understanding and more positive impression of their local law enforcement agency and its role in the community.

For more information, questions, or if you would like to host a Coffee with a Cop, contact the Community Relations Officer at community-relations@iowa-city.org.

The Iowa City Police Department, in cooperation with the Coralville Police Department, Johnson County Sheriff's Department, the University of Iowa Department of Public Safety, and the North Liberty Police Department, offers a Community Police Academy for members of the community. The goal of the Community Police Academy is to promote a better relationship between police officers and the community.

The Community Police Academy is an 8-week program, which meets one night per week, typically January through April. Past academies have had training topics such as: police officer selection and training; search and seizure; ethical issues; use of force; firearms; defensive tactics; drug investigations; bomb and SWAT team overviews; and a tour of the Johnson County Jail. Participants also ride along with officers on patrol.

We have found the Community Police Academy to be especially effective in enhancing communication between officers and residents. At the conclusion of the program, participants have a better understanding of the demands placed upon their police officers, while at the same time officers gain valuable insight and feedback from the people they serve.

For more information contact, community-relations@iowa-city.org.

2024 Community Police Academy

The 2024 Community Police Academy 6-9 p.m., at the Johnson County Joint Emergency Communication Center, 4529 Melrose Ave., Iowa City. The academy begins Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024, due to the Iowa Caucuses and will conclude March 11.

Class size is limited. Register early to reserve your spot. Applicants must be at least 16-years-old by the start of the session. A $10 fee is required to cover the costs of materials and supplies and will be accepted at the first session.

Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 14, 2024. An application form and brochure are available in-person at the Iowa City Police Department, 410 E. Washington St.

• LOST Application Form (PDF)
• LOST Application Form (Online)

Loved Ones Safe and Together (LOST) is a program to assist in identifying and locating community members who have been separated from their families or caretakers.

Individuals who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, autism, or other medical conditions which involve memory loss or confusion, may wander away from their home. In these situations, officers are called to assist in locating them. In addition, officers may come across individuals who are lost but have not been reported as such. Time is a critical factor in safely locating missing persons, especially in dangerous weather conditions. Prompt dissemination of information about the missing person to the police and the public is essential. Providing necessary information to the police in advance may result in a timelier reunification.

The LOST program consists of an ICPD database that contains information about the person including name, address, physical description, birth date and a photograph. It also includes information about the potential activities of the person, where they may be heading or where they have been found when lost previously and what symptoms they may exhibit when located by the police officer. Additional information can include communication differences or techniques, unusual behaviors, sensory needs, triggers and ways to effectively interact with the individual.

There is no cost to participate in this program, simply complete the LOST Application Form (links above). If you are unable to download the form, it can be sent to you with a stamped envelope for its return to the ICPD. In addition to the completed information form, applicants should include a recent photograph of the individual to be included in the database. If a recent photograph is not available, arrangements will be made for an officer to take a photograph for the database.

This program is available due to a collaboration with the East Central Iowa Chapter Alzheimer’s Association, University of Iowa Children’s Hospital Autism Center, Iowa City Area Autism-Asperger Syndrome Family Group, Handicare, The Village Community and the Autism and Safety Risk Initiative.

Residents who are interested in connecting with their neighbors are encouraged to sign up on Nextdoor.com or by downloading the Nextdoor app, which makes communicating about issues in your neighborhood convenient.

The City's Outreach & Engagement Specialist can also connect you with resources. The staff acts as a liaison between the Neighborhood Association and the City of Iowa City government to address neighborhood concerns and interests by keeping neighbors informed of city issues and providing the resources to promote involvement. More information can be found on the Neighborhood Outreach page. Email EngageIC@iowa-city.org or call 319-356-5093 with questions.

Follow these tips to help ensure that you do not become a victim. Adapted from the National Crime Prevention Council.

Mail Matters

• Do not put outgoing mail, especially bill payments, in personal curbside mailboxes. Use United States Postal Service mailboxes instead, or, better yet, drop off your mail inside a post office.
• Use a locked mailbox with a slot at home, if at all possible.
• Do not put outgoing mail in an unguarded “outbox” at work.
• Do not write your account number on the outside of envelopes containing bill payments.
• When you are out of town, have the post office hold your mail for you or have someone you trust pick it up every day.

E-commerce

• Make sure nobody is standing right behind you when you are using an ATM. He or she may be trying to photograph your card number and password. Always shield your hand and the screen, even if no one is right behind you.
• Pay your bills online using a secure site if that service is available.
• Do not give out your credit card number on the Internet unless it is encrypted on a secure site.

Personal Finance

• Examine your credit reports from the major national credit reporting firms at least once a year to make sure no one has established credit in your name or is ruining your credit after stealing your identity. The recently enacted Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act requires that each of the three major credit reporting agencies provide consumers with a free credit report once a year.
• If you have to give out personal or financial information from a public phone or by cell phone, make sure no one is listening or wait until you are in a more secure location.
• Shred all financial statements, billing statements, and preapproved credit card offers and the like before throwing them in the trash. Cross-cut shredding is best. No shredder? Use scissors to cut documents.
• Minimize the number of identification and credit cards you carry with you. Take only what is absolutely necessary.
• Cancel all credit cards that you have not used in the last six months. Open credit is a prime target if an identity thief spies it in your credit report.
• Write to the Direct Marketing Association to have your name taken off direct mail lists. This will stop the dangerous flow of preapproved credit card offers to your address. This is where to write:
  • Direct Marketing Association
    Mail Preference Service
    PO Box 643
    Carmel, NY 10512
• Call the credit reporting industry at 888-567-8688 as an extra measure to stop credit card and insurance solicitations from coming to your home.

Banking

• Use traveler’s checks instead of personal bank checks.
• Examine all of your bank and credit card statements each month for mistakes or unfamiliar charges that might be the sign of an identity thief at work.
• Make sure you know when your bills and bank statements normally arrive. If one is late, call to find out why. It may have fallen into the wrong hands.
• Use direct deposit, whenever possible, instead of a paper paycheck.
• Do not have new checks mailed to you at home; pick them up at the bank.
• Be alert if you get a call from someone purporting to be from your bank who asks for personal data to update your “records.” This is almost always a scam. If you are in doubt, hang up and call the bank yourself.

Strictly Confidential

• Commit all passwords to memory. Never write them down or carry them with you.
• Do not give out your financial or personal information over the phone or Internet, unless you have initiated the contact or know for certain with whom you are dealing.
• Do not exchange personal information for “prizes.” Ask to have the offer put in writing and mailed to you so you can consider it more carefully.
• Give out your Social Security number only when absolutely necessary. Treat it as confidential information.
• Identity thieves have been known to take Social Security numbers from medical charts in hospitals, where the numbers are frequently used as patient identifiers. If you are hospitalized, tell your doctor or nurse to be careful with your chart.
• Destroy the hard drive of your computer if you are selling it, giving it to charity, or otherwise disposing of it. Do not just erase the hard drive; physically remove it.
• Keep your personal information confidential and learn as much as you can about the various kinds of scams being perpetrated to steal your identity. The newspapers are full of tips.

Top Security

• Do not carry your Social Security card with you. Keep it in a safe place at home.
• Do not carry automotive insurance policies in your car. Keep them locked up at home.
• Do not keep your car registration in your car. If possible, carry it in your wallet.
• Keep your wallet in your front pocket so a pickpocket cannot take it. Hold your purse close against your body through its straps.
• Burglar-proof your home, then burglar-proof what is inside your home, especially your financial records and important documents (put them inside a locked filing cabinet or safe).

Project Lifesaver is the premier search and rescue program operated internationally by public safety agencies, and is strategically designed for “at risk” individuals who are prone to the life-threatening behavior of wandering. The primary mission of Project Lifesaver is to provide timely response to save lives and reduce potential injury for adults and children with the propensity to wander due to a cognitive condition. Find out more about the program by filling out the Project Lifesaver Information Request Form.