Carol Stream residents can sit down with local police officers over a free cup of coffee on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at the McDonald's at 355 S. Schmale Road.

The Carol Stream Police Department announced the event on X, inviting the community to its National Coffee with a Cop Day gathering from 8 to 10 a.m. The format is informal. There are no speeches and no set agenda.

The idea is simple: officers and residents share a table and talk.

Coffee with a Cop is a national program that started in 2011 when the Hawthorne, California, police department held its first event at a local McDonald's, according to Police Chief Magazine. The federal Office of Community Policing Services awarded a grant in 2012 to expand the program nationwide, and it became an official nonprofit in 2018.

The Carol Stream department held a similar event at the same McDonald's location in July 2025. The department called the restaurant, identified as O'Keefe Family McDonald's, a "community partner" in a post on X at the time. The Oct. 7 announcement does not name the franchisee, but the address is the same.

The department's Community Relations Unit, led by Sgt. Dannae Pope, coordinates public outreach events and crime prevention programs, according to the village's events page.

The Oct. 7 coffee event is one of several community gatherings the department has held in recent months. Its Citizens Police Academy welcomed 35 participants to its first week in February. Officers also visited Connect Academy and Jay Stream Middle School for school outreach, and the department hosted a Cop on a Rooftop fundraiser for Special Olympics Illinois at a Dunkin' location on Friday, May 15.

Residents who want to request an officer at a neighborhood event or have questions about outreach opportunities can reach Sgt. Pope at (630) 871-6202.

The event is free. The Carol Stream Police Department is located at 500 N. Gary Ave. and can be reached at (630) 668-2167.