West Penn Police participate in breakfast with a cop event

Put the Hamburglar on high alert — the West Penn Police are on the case at McDonald’s in Lehighton.

Chief Brian Johnson and Sgt. Jason Lorah stopped by at the burger joint for a special breakfast with a cop event on Saturday morning.

“We were invited down here by McDonald’s to do a ‘breakfast with a cop,’ so myself and the sergeant came down just to talk to people, see what’s going on, see if anyone wants any technical information, or just to talk in general,” Johnson said.

McDonald’s manager Amanda Freeby said that a previous event with police presence inspired the restaurant to ask the department to come by again.

“We had a family fun night with a cop, and he brough his K-9 dog out, and it was a huge success,” Freeby said. “So I thought, if the community wanted to ask any questions, why not bring them out again and have breakfast with a cop?”

As more and more people drifted into McDonald’s for some Egg McMuffins and hash browns, the West Penn Police took the opportunity to engage with the community in a friendly, relaxed manner.

“It’s really nice to come out and talk to people, especially over some coffee or breakfast,” Lorah said. “So far we’ve touched on a lot of different topics. Scams are always a big topic, general police questions, open carry firearms.”

Johnson said that community relations events such as this go a long way toward creating a connection with people, and eliminating preconceived notions.

“The whole idea is to try and bring down that wall that everyone puts up between law enforcement and citizens,” Johnson said.

Dorothy Fritz of Mahoning Valley, who stopped by to get some pancakes for breakfast, was happy to strike up a conversation with the officers and exchange an amusing story about a telephone scam.

“Somebody just called my son with a scam, saying there were several felonies against him, and that he has to call this number or the cops are going to call and pick them up. We started laughing in their ears, because anyone with common sense doesn’t say cops, they say police,” she said with a laugh. “I think it’s wonderful that they came out today.”

The West Penn Police valued the chance to spend quality time with people from the neighborhood, and both officers look forward to participating in other events in the future.

“It’s great to see the nicer side, since we’re always called to the bad side,” Johnson said. “We like the camaraderie with the community.”