The University of Houston Police Department kicked off the spring semester with their first Coffee With a Cop event of 2025, aimed at educating students about safety resources. 

“We try to have our first resource event that first week when school starts, as many students, especially incoming freshmen, don’t really know about all the safety resources and programs that we offer,” said UHPD Crime Preventions Officer Felipe Gutierrez. “This way, they have our contact information and if they have questions, they can reach out to us.” 

The department has been hosting Coffee With a Cop events since 2014, to proactively connect with the community with on-campus law enforcement officers and on-campus safety resources. Each event is also unique because of the conversations that officers have with students who stopped by for a cup of coffee and pastry. 

This month, event discussions delved into bike/scooter safety, and primarily u-locks, the bicycle/scooter lock that UHPD recommends students use to secure their bikes on campus. 

During the event, Gutierrez reconnected with a student who he had an encounter with years ago. The student questioned Gutierrez on a post he saw on one of UHPD’s social media channels regarding u-locks. The conversation was a welcome one for Gutierrez who noted that the interaction is proof that UHPD’s use of social media is making inroads with students. 

UHPD took the opportunity of this month’s Coffee With a Cop event to further incentivize proper bike/scooter safety by providing free u-locks to students who needed one. UHPD Officer Amir Watkins handed out 12 u-locks throughout the one-hour event. 

Alberto Mata Jr., a Media Productions and Photography and Digital Media double major was among the 12 who attended this event. The first-time Coffee With a Cop attendee said seeing the UHPD officers' hand out coffee, pastries, and having conversations with students was a good reminder about the on-campus safety resources. 

Join us for the next Coffee With a Cop event on February 14 at the Student Center South. This is a great opportunity to meet UHPD officers, enjoy a cup of coffee, and learn more about how to stay safe on campus. Please check out the Stay Cougar SAFE website for updates and more safety tips!