New Canaan Police officers greeted patrons of UCBC Bagels downtown Saturday during the department’s periodic “Coffee with a Cop” event.
NCPD Community Impact Officer Nicole Vartuli said she’s seeking to make the meet-and-greet with the community a monthly happening at different coffee shops in New Canaan.
The Jan. 27, 2024 “Coffee with a Cop” at UCBC Bagels on South Avenue. Credit: Michael Dinan
“We’re just trying to bridge that gap between the Police Department and the community and I think it’s a great concept,” Vartuli said during the two-hour gathering at the South Avenue bagel shop.
UCBC patrons received stickers, pens and special “badges” from Vartuli, Officer Erica Morey and Sgt. Thomas Callinan.
Matt Walsh, a junior studying criminal justice at Sacred Heart University, said he’s seeking to launch a career in police work.
“When I was a kid, I would always see police officers downtown, which made me interested in the type of work they do,” said Walsh, who attended with his father, John. “Seeing them help people all the time—for example, a medical emergency or car accident—and seeing how effectively and quickly they respond, made me want to do something like that professionally.”
John Walsh said his family “loves” the police.
Back row, L-R: Sgt. Thomas Callinan and Officers Erica Morey and Nicole Vartuli at the Jan. 27, 2024 “Coffee with a Cop” at UCBC Bagels on South Avenue. Credit: Michael Dinan
“They’re our heroes,” he said.
Morey, who finished her field training with NCPD in October, said the community has been “amazing.”
“Everyone here is so appreciative of us and I feel extremely lucky to work here in a town such as this,” Morey said. “I can’t ask for a better place to work.”
Judy Gilroy, a UCBC regular, said of New Canaan Police, “They’re doing a wonderful job.”
Nancy Walton, who brought her sons Edward Daniels, a first grader at East School, and Charlie Daniels, an eighth grader at Saxe Middle School, said she and her kids have seen Vartuli in the past making presentations at East.
“I think it’s great,” Walton said of Coffee with a Cop, adding: “I think having the police officers in the school is great for the kids to get to know them, and not be afraid. Also to feel like they’re protected at school.”
Vartuli, who is on her second stint as CIO—an assignment that requires the officer to patrol downtown New Canaan and establish relationships with business owners and workers, said that “it becomes rewarding when you’re walking down the street and you know that person by their first name.”
“You know the ins and outs of their business,” Vartuli said. “These people are in our town and we want to connect with them, and we’re in their town as well, and they’ve helped us solve cases and assisted us with other things.”