Cold weather did not stop UH students from stopping by the UC Lobby on Wednesday morning to talk to members UHPD about safety on and off campus.
Complimentary donuts and coffee pulled students in on the chilly morning, while Sgt. Dina Padovan answered questions during the third event of the year. This is the first year of the initiative that Sgt. Padovan brought to the school, and it’s proving to be successful.
“I didn’t see any programs like this in Houston, so I jumped in and registered for it,” said Padovan. “Other agencies across the city have since jumped in as well.”
While the success has been gradual, Padovan wants to see the program grow even more.
“It’s a pilot program, so we’re really striving to get the word out each time we do this,” said Padovan. “We wanted to figure out how to do outreach, and you do it by creating and opportunity to come and meet the people in charge in an open dialogue space.”
Students were eager to get coffee and talk with the available law enforcement. Questions such as campus safety, types of law enforcement of campus, and possible employment opportunities were top topics of the morning.
“I’ve always wondered if their job requirements of always needing to have their guard up affects them in their real life,” said public relations senior Shiree Cole. “I’m glad I got a chance to discuss that with the officer in such an informal way.”
“We look for at least 75 people to come out, but we always hope for more,” said Padovan. “The goal is to get the word out even more with each event. I want to see this program expand across campus to more areas like the ERP and the west side of campus.”
The next Coffee with a Cop will be on Dec. 10 in the UC Lobby.
