Yelm Police Department aimed to break down barriers between local police officers and residents as Police Chief Rob Carlson and Assistant Chief Tillman Atkins joined about a dozen community members to celebrate National Coffee with a Cop day on Oct. 4.
Topics throughout the 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. event included YPD recruitment and retention, fentanyl use and narcan, the homelessness crisis and how it pertains to Yelm, and simple conversations to familiarize themselves with each other.
Carlson also noted that he would like to eventually add a fourth student resource officer to work with Yelm Community Schools. He said more conversation needs to take place with the school district before anything can move forward.
