NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.—On any given morning, visitors to this city’s seaside McFadden Square can expect to see surfers, skateboarders, Dory fishermen, locals riding bikes or walking dogs, and tourists taking photos on the beach.
But this past Saturday, Feb. 4, the bustling Newport pier area was also the gathering place of the Newport Beach Police Department’s monthly “Mobile Café,” a meet-and-greet community outreach program.
Established in July 2022 and led by Sgt. Steve Oberon, the initiative promotes positive interaction between police and the community without any agenda other than providing a chance for people to ask questions, voice concerns, and get to know the officers in their neighborhood.
“What we’re doing is bringing the community together in an easygoing, positive manner. To get to know officers on a personal, as well as professional level, to establish goodwill and trust,” Oberon told The Epoch Times.
Each month, the informal gatherings, for old and young alike, are held at various coffee houses, cafes, or restaurants over coffee and donuts or maybe an iced tea and pizza.
“When you see people positive, smiling and laughing, it becomes contagious,” Oberon said.
According to Oberon, all sorts of folks have, so far, participated: residents, visitors, homeless people, and even someone who had been previously arrested.
“In that relaxed, friendly environment, with everyone eating donuts, drinking coffee, and engaging in conversation—it kind of breaks barriers,” he said.
Since the Mobile Café’s inception, Oberon says, thus far, homelessness, e-bike safety, and residential, retail, and commercial burglaries are the topics mostly on people’s minds.
On Saturday, as people chatted over offerings from Newport Coffee Co., several police SUVs and motorcycles were displayed next to a bright blue Newport Beach Police pop-up tent with the pier and lifeguard headquarters as a backdrop.
Acting Police Chief Joe Cartwright chatted with several residents while one motorcycle officer handed out bike helmets, and another discussed e-bike safety with a teenager and his dad.
Newport Beach resident and long-time volunteer for the police department, Dotty McDonald told The Epoch Times that the Mobile Café is a great way for residents not only to air complaints and concerns, but to show their gratitude.
“It’s a great morale booster for our officers,” she said. “When they see people showing up at these Mobile Café’s with a smile and a kind word, showing their support, or simply saying ‘thank you for all you do for us’—it goes a long way.”
Sara Verschueren, who is a crime prevention specialist with the department, told The Epoch Times that outings also give her an opportunity to distribute information on important topics and to inform residents about various police services.
“It’s a good feeling for us to be able to answer questions in person; to help residents with information so they can plan for an unexpected disaster for example, or clarify ways in which they can better secure their home or business,” she said.
One highlight of the recent outing came with a surprise appearance of a horse-mounted unit of three officers. Children pointed excitedly, one noticing that each of the horses donned their own personalized official police badge attached to their halter.
As the mounted unit strolled from the beach towards the square, children and adults approached to pet the horses, take pictures, and ask questions. It was an opportunity for the officers to share how the equestrian unit assists the department in patrolling beaches and parks or helping with event crowd control.
“My little girl absolutely loves horses. It’s so exciting to see them in person,” one mother visiting from Fountain Valley told The Epoch Times. “For her to be able to get up close and pet them like this is amazing. She probably won’t be able to sleep for a week after this!”
The next Newport Beach Police Department Mobile Café is March 11 at the Starbucks located at Pacific Coast Highway and Bayside Drive.
