Upper Darby holds "Coffee with a Cop"

Several officers from the Upper Darby Police Department and their scumbag-hating chief, Michael Chitwood, will host the department's first ever "Coffee with a Cop" from 10 to 11 a.m. tomorrow at the McDonald's on State Road near Lansdowne Avenue in Upper Darby.

Coffee with a Cop is a national program that was started in 2012 by officers in Hawthorne, Calif., who wanted to open the lines of communication between citizens and police officers. Since then, more than 175 departments in 36 states have adopted the program.

"It's kind of like a meet-and-greet," Chitwood said. "It allows a relaxed and informal one-on-one interaction between the police and community members."

Wednesday's session will be a first for Upper Darby officers, but Chitwood hopes it's not the last. He wants to hold three session each year in various locations throughout the township.

The McDonald's has agreed to provide all of the coffee, tea and juice for the session, free of charge.

This month also marks Chitwood's 50th year in law enforcement. He started with the Philadelphia Police Department on April 6, 1964. After meeting with citizens for coffee in the morning, Chitwood will be honored by Upper Darby's mayor and town council that night for his long and storied career in law enforcement.

So, if you want to have a nice conversation with a cop, or, if you've always wanted Chitwood to call you a scumbag or any other of his many creative epithets in person, stop by McDonald's for Coffee with a Cop tomorrow.

No word yet on whether the Hamburglar plans to attend.