Early-morning Coffee with a Cop in Quincy

QUINCY — It’s a little thing, the concern about the timing of a Nixle message.

But it’s the kind of thing people remember. And that brings them out at 8 a.m. to talk to the police.

“I just wanted to stop by and say hello,” said Mike McKee, a Quincy resident and owner of a coming barbecue restaurant. “There’s no reason to get non-emergency stuff at four or five in the morning.”

McKee, sitting at a table in The Grainery with Quincy Police Chief Kieth Siebert, said the early morning message, delivered via text and email by the Quincy Police Department’s Nixle feed, came after his wife had worked three 12-hours shifts and his whole family was trying to get some well earned sleep.

“Stuff that can wait until business hours should wait,” McKee said.

Siebert nodded.

“That was about graduation,” he said.

Siebert hasn’t had many of these “Coffee with a cop” mornings to meet and chat with Quincy residents, but he hopes to. It’s an approach that reflects Siebert’s time as a Grant County sheriff’s deputy working in and around Desert AirE.

“I learned more getting out and talking to people than I did in formal meetings,” Siebert said.

It’s something he’s trying to get the department’s three newest officers — Trevor Jones, Keldon Jardine and Rolando Guerrero, all of whom started on June 1 — to learn too.

“I think it’s awesome, doing this outreach, trying to be part of the community,” said Jardine.

Jardine, 24, and an Army veteran who also spent some time working as a corrections officer for Chelan County, said the most amazing thing he’s done so far was a day “hanging out” with third-graders in the Quincy schools.

“We got to know the kids,” Jardine added. “It’s good to see the community.”

“I think it’s excellent, a great way for people to become close to the police,” Jones, 21, said. “We’re just reassuring people that we’re not out here to do bad things. We’re out here to help people.”

Quincy resident Kevin Smith, who works for the city of George, just came out to meet the police. And was impressed with what he found.

“I’ve never been to coffee with a cop before,” Smith said. “It’s much more casual than I thought it would be. I wasn’t sure someone would be at a podium addressing dozens of concerned citizens.”

But there weren’t dozens of concerned citizens. Siebert takes a sip of coffee and looks around. The police officers far outnumber the residents.

“Seven-thirty was probably too early for this,” he said. “We’ll probably schedule it a little later next time.”

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com.