A chance to mingle with Newport Beach cops entices public to Mobile Cafe
About 100 people turned out Saturday morning at the Java Cafe for the 17th Newport Beach Mobile Cafe, a casual get-together inaugurated in July 2022 that allows residents to better know their local police.
“We had 24 [people attending] from law enforcement — lieutenants, sergeants, officers from various divisions, [community service officers] and volunteers,” said Lt. Steven Oberon. The majority of the attendees were residents, Oberon noted, and there were more this time around than usual. “It was a great showing,” he said.
The officers fielded questions and listened to concerns raised by the public gathered in the cafe in the Bayside Shopping Center. Although attendees commented on familiar issues such as the proliferation of e-bikes and noise caused by car exhaust systems, the subject that was most top of mind was residential burglaries, officials said.
“Steve initially brought the idea [for a mobile cafe] out,” said Lt. Brad Miller, who partnered with Oberon in event orchestration. “People are free to approach us in a casual environment and ask us anything one-on-one.”
Miller said originally there had been some skepticism about the operation and how it could subject the members of the department to criticism. “But to our surprise, officers love it, and they participate so much more than we anticipated.”
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