Gallery: Coffee with a Cop builds trust one cup at a time

That's the idea behind Coffee with a Cop, a grassroots organization started by two police officers in Hawthorne, Calif., in 2011. In coffee shops and restaurants across the United States, as well as eight other participating countries, police officers and the community members they serve can come together to discuss issues and learn more about each other. Starbucks has hosted Coffee with a Cop events since those early days, including more than 500 events in the past year alone, with a goal to reach 1,000 by Coffee with a Cop Day in October.

For an hour or two, coffee is poured and phones and radios are turned off. Officers can chat at the bar with a barista or sit down with a customer for a heart-to-heart talk. Sometimes an officer will don a green apron and take a turn in the drive thru or behind the bar. Finding common ground and building trust - one cup at a time.

Here is a collection of photos from Coffee with a Cop events* at Starbucks stores around the United States.

Cleveland, Ohio

Beaverton, Oregon

Apex, North Carolina

Lake City, Florida

*Photos do not imply an endorsement of Starbucks from any officer or department.

For more information on this story, contact Heidi Peiper