Albany Police Department schedules coffee meeting and firearms training course

ALBANY — The Albany Police Department is hosting two upcoming events to help strengthen the department’s connection to the community while also striving to make Albany a little bit safer, APD officials say.

On Friday, residents are invited to attend a Coffee with a Cop session at the McDonald’s on East Oglethorpe Boulevard. Attendees will be able to have an informal meeting with officers and other representatives from the APD at a neutral location.

According to a news release, the APD designed the informal meeting because the majority of contact albany residents have with law enforcement occurs during emergencies or other emotional situations, which are not ideal times to build effective relationships.

Phyllis Banks, APD spokesperson, said that this will be the second time the department has engaged in its Coffee with a Cop program, and the she is hoping this meeting will be as effective as last year’s at the McDonald’s on the corner of Westover Boulevard and Gillionville Road. That event also included representatives from the Dougherty County Police Department.

“We did one last year at the new McDonald’s shortly after it opened and it was very well received,” Banks said.

The Coffee with a Cop program is a national initiative supported by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.

Banks also said Police Chief Michael Persley is expected to stop by Friday’s event, as he did in 2015.

The McDonald’s is located at 1632 E. Oglethorpe Blvd. and the meeting will begin at 8 a.m.

Officers will also be meeting with area citizens on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Albany Law Enforcement Center on the corner of Oglethorpe Boulevard and Washington Street in downtown Albany for a basic citizens firearms safety class.

The course, which will feature a brief overview of Georgia’s carry laws from Dougherty County District Attorney Greg Edwards, is designed to provide information on the legal requirements of basic gun ownership while also teaching citizens how to safely use a firearm.

Anyone interested in participating in the free course must fill out an application and submit it no later than 5 p.m. Wednesday. Applications are available at the Law Eenforcement Center or online at www.albanyga.us.

Slots for the training will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis after clearing a background check.

Those who attend the firearms training will need to bring their own handguns, ammunition and safety gear, such as eye and ear protection. Long guns, rifles and shotguns are not permitted.

For more information about either event contact the APD Community Relations department at (229) 483-6298.