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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; McDonald&#8217;s was packed with police Wednesday morning during the breakfast rush.</p><p>But they weren&#8217;t there to make a bust.</p><p>It was all about community outreach.</p><p>&#8220;Coffee with a Cop&#8221; is a national event held annually Oct. 4. This is the second year that the Wilkes-Barre Police Department took part, but it&#8217;s the first time they&#8217;ve joined forces with McDonald&#8217;s.</p><p>Chief Marcella Lendacky said the partnership made the event far easier to plan than last year&#8217;s, when city police set up shop in a parking lot at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Butler Street.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s just one less thing on my plate,&#8221; Lendacky laughed.</p><p>Pat Stella, owner of the McDonald&#8217;s franchise on East Northampton Street, said she was interested in hosting the event as a way of expressing gratitude to police.</p><p>&#8220;These guys and gals are here to protect us,&#8221; Stella said. &#8220;It&#8217;s our way of saying thanks.&#8221;</p><p>Part of that thanks came by way of free coffee for a year for the officers who took part, along with cake and a free small coffee for everyone who stopped by.</p><p>And Wilkes-Barre City Police weren&#8217;t the only ones at McDonald&#8217;s.</p><p>Troopers from the State Police barracks in Wyoming, Wilkes-Barre Mayor Tony George and Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis were all on hand to show their support.</p><p>Some of the members of law enforcement even helped out at the restaurant, with some hopping behind the counter while others took a turn at manning the drive-thru window.</p><p>Mayor George believes &#8220;Coffee with a Cop&#8221; lets residents see police have the same concern as them: safety.</p><p>&#8220;It brings the residents and the police together,&#8221; George said. &#8220;It lets the residents see the police are great, and it lets the police see the residents are great.&#8221;</p><p>Patrolman Robert Collins, community policing officer for Wilkes-Barre, said this sort of interaction with the community is vital.</p><p>&#8220;We want to show the people we care,&#8221; Collins said. &#8220;We&#8217;re here for their best interests; sometimes it&#8217;s hard to communicate that.&#8221;</p><p>Collins said Wilkes-Barre Police attempt to connect with the community in other ways as well.</p><p>He helps run the Explorer Post, a class for mostly high school-age children aiming to make police work exciting, along with a basketball club.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s about teaching these kids to do the right thing,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We want them to be strong enough to make their own decisions.&#8221;</p><p>McDonald&#8217;s officials already have next year&#8217;s &#8220;Coffee with a Cop&#8221; booked, and they&#8217;re considering pushing it to the afternoon so parents could bring their kids after school.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption"> Wilkes-Barre Police Officer Kirk Merchel plays with 5-month-old Ja&#8217;Mhia, who was visiting McDonald&#8217;s with father Jamie Sweeney on Wednesday morning during &#8216;Coffee with a Cop.&#8217; </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/web1_TTL100517Coffee1.jpg</photo0><caption0> Wilkes-Barre Police Officer Kirk Merchel plays with 5-month-old Ja&#8217;Mhia, who was visiting McDonald&#8217;s with father Jamie Sweeney on Wednesday morning during &#8216;Coffee with a Cop.&#8217; </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/web1_TTL100517Coffee2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">State Police Trooper Deanna Piekanski and McDonald&#8217;s employee Lakeisha Harris work together to wait on a customeer during Wednesday&#8217;s &#8216;Coffee with a Cop.&#8217; </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/web1_TTL100517Coffee2.jpg</photo1><caption1>State Police Trooper Deanna Piekanski and McDonald&#8217;s employee Lakeisha Harris work together to wait on a customeer during Wednesday&#8217;s &#8216;Coffee with a Cop.&#8217; </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/web1_TTL100517Coffee3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre Police Officer Robert Collins waves as he waits on a drive-thru customer at the Northampton Street McDonald&#8217;s during &#8216;Coffee with a Cop&#8217; on Wednesday morning. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/web1_TTL100517Coffee3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Wilkes-Barre Police Officer Robert Collins waves as he waits on a drive-thru customer at the Northampton Street McDonald&#8217;s during &#8216;Coffee with a Cop&#8217; on Wednesday morning. </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/web1_TTL100517Coffee4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre Police Officer Jason Oliver waits on a drive-thru customer at the Northampton Street McDonald&#8217;s during &#8216;Coffee with a Cop.&#8217; </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/web1_TTL100517Coffee4.jpg</photo3><caption3>Wilkes-Barre Police Officer Jason Oliver waits on a drive-thru customer at the Northampton Street McDonald&#8217;s during &#8216;Coffee with a Cop.&#8217; </caption3><photoCredit3></photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Patrick Kernan</p><p>pkernan@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Patrick Kernan at 570-991-6386 or on Twitter @PatKernan</p></shirttailMeta></div>

McDonald’s, Wilkes-Barre Police partner for ‘Coffee with a Cop’