Yeah, this week the Maui Police Department will take part in what’s billed as the “first annual Coffee with a Cop Day.” The phrase “first annual” always struck me as a bit optimistic, but who knows. Anyway, here’s your big chance to talk story with an MPD cop over a cup of joe.

“On Friday, October 7, 2016, the Maui Police Department will be joining the U.S. Department of Justice and police agencies across the United States for the First Annual Coffee with a Cop Day,” states a County of Maui news release sent out today. “Coffee with a Cop is a program intended to bring police officers and community members together to discuss issues and learn more about each other. There will be no agenda or speeches. It is an opportunity for citizens to ask questions, voice concerns and get to know your officers in an informal and relaxed setting.”

If you go but can’t think of anything to talk about, allow us to suggest a few topics:

• The MPD’s ongoing tests with body-worn cameras

• The MPD’s robot, which can be equipped with explosives (just like the Dallas PD used recently to kill a suspected sniper)

• The MPD’s failure to share its policies on how it would use said robot with the general public

• What MPD beat cops think of the still ongoing case of two MPD cops accused of bribery and hindering an investigation (which is now being handled by the FBI)

• Why the MPD refuses to release the names of officers who’ve used deadly force

• Why the MPD believes that the state law prohibiting the department from making public the names of active officers who’ve been punished by Internal Affairs is so necessary

Anyway, the thing will take place at the Kehalani Starbucks (located at the corner of Waiale Road and Kuikahi Drive in Wailuku), between 10am and noon.

Photo: InSapphoWeTrust/Flickr