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ELLEN F. OCONNELL / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Trooper 1st Class David Peters of Hazleton-based Troop N talks with Debra Seo of Hazleton during the Coffee with a Cop community outreach program Wednesday at Toms Kitchen in Conyngham.

Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Anthony Petroski distributes pamphlets while answering questions for the few folks that shared Coffee with a Cop on Wednesday.

A group of Pennsylvania State Police troopers clutched small white coffee cups at a Conyngham restaurant Wednesday morning. They were dressed in full uniform with their duty belt holding their service weapons at the ready.

But they werent performing an investigation or responding to a call for help. Instead, they were meeting with the general public at Toms Kitchen, Route 93, as part of a community outreach project called Coffee with a Cop.

Trooper Anthony Petroski, of the Community Services Unit, said the event has been held elsewhere but this was the first time the Hazleton barracks hosted it.

The local barracks even sprung for the coffee.

It was an opportunity for the community to learn more about troopers and ask questions in an informal setting. Petroski said he hoped attendees would see that troopers really do care. It was also a chance to speak to them outside of the oftentimes unpleasant circumstances where people typically encounter police such as criminal investigations and crashes.

People see us and they automatically think somethings wrong, Trooper David Peters, also of the Community Services Unit, said.

Unsure how many guests would come and how the event would be received, the barracks planned for a second Coffee with a Cop event and announced other upcoming community events such as a gun lock giveaway.

About six people attended and asked about everything from driving laws to gun laws and crime trends while a seventh person, who had been eating breakfast at the restaurant, peeked into the back room where the event was held just to thank the troopers for keeping the community safe.

Troopers took the opportunity to speak about concerns they had and misconceptions.

They wont tolerate anyone breaking the law, even if it means one of their own is getting arrested. Trooper Lt. Devon Brutosky once served with the Pennsylvania State Police Internal Affairs and had the displeasure of arresting a fellow officer. He said that officer was treated like anyone else accused of doing wrong. Troopers, Brutosky said, have a long tradition and honor to uphold and they wouldnt risk that reputation by covering up to protect one of their own.

We dont want those people working for us, Brutosky said.

A woman in the crowd, who said her son has autism, wondered if troopers received training on how to approach people with autism. Petroski said that as a matter of fact troopers do.

Linda Machesko of Conyngham was curious to see what the troopers would say about gun laws. She wished more people would have attended but she did meet a new friend, Margie Scheers of Drums, who volunteers with PSP Strong, a group created by wives of state troopers to support the state police after the 2014 ambush at the Blooming Grove barracks which killed Cpl. Bryon Dickson II and wounded of Trooper Alex Douglass.

Scheers thought the event was a wonderful opportunity to meet troopers and confront the hatred some harbor against all police. She for one was grateful for the troopers service for protecting the public from the evils of the world.

Five troopers were in attendance; some spoke about their passion for the job.

Trooper Timothy Gronski, five years on the job, was a marketing professional for Bank of America and served in the Army before he became a trooper. He eventually landed in the Forensic Services Unit, where hes stationed now with Troop N.

He said like many troopers he puts the victim first when addressing a difficult crime scene and that directs him to try harder to find the truth. The victim, he said, can no longer talk when hes called to a scene, so he helps give that person a voice.

Each trooper, Gronski said, has their own specialty which benefits the community.

Trooper Martin Bibla feels hes most useful on patrol and finds great reward in assisting crash victims by being the first person on scene to comfort or offer assistance to the victims on what may be their worst day ever.

Contact the writer: achristman@standard

speaker.com; 570-501-3584

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State police brew up novel way to boost community interaction - Standard Speaker