JASON CHLAPEK
jason.chlapek@granitemediapartners. com
HUTTO — Many police departments meet with the public during morning community events such as Coffee with a Cop on a monthly or quarterly basis.
The Hutto Police Department tried something different recently and hosted an evening event titled “Chips and Chat” at Casa Jalisco.
“This was our first time to have one at night,” said Deanna Lewis, the department’s community resource officer. “It went well. It was a small turnout, but it’s an opportunity to meet with the community.” The department created “Chips and Chat” to give residents busy with work or other tasks in the morning a chance to visit with police after hours in the evening.
“We’ll do a mix of morning and evening events,” Lewis said. “The morning events are popular because people come and go. The evening events will be for people to stop by on their way home from work.”
Although last week’s community event involved tortilla chips with salsa, queso, guacamole and ceviche, coffee was still available as a beverage choice — though the 90-degree weather had many reaching for water or a soft drink.
Lewis said more events to interact with the community are coming.
“We’ll do it at different locations so we can feature different businesses,” Lewis said. “Our next evening one will probably be downtown somewhere.”
Visit huttotx.gov for more.
