FORT DRUM, N.Y. (Oct. 31, 2023) -- In the time it takes to sip a cup of coffee (or two), Fort Drum residents are discussing issues in their neighborhoods while also learning about emergency services initiatives to improve community safety and security.
The Coffee with the Chiefs forum is a partnership that Fort Drum Mountain Community Homes (MCH) and the Directorate of Emergency Services began four years ago to foster a positive, trusting relationship with the communities they serve.
“It’s important for us to have a venue where community members can come in and talk with us and voice their concerns,” said Fort Drum Police Chief Todd Julian. “It also gives me an opportunity to inform them about what we are seeing in their neighborhoods.”
Julian said he prefers having a casual, open dialogue with residents, face-to-face, rather than hearing about incidents on social media.
“You know, being present and people being able to see us and talk with us directly – it makes a difference,” he said. “And we work very well with the Mountain Community Homes community managers, hearing from them and sharing information.”
He said the reason the meetings work is because they don’t sugar-coat or hide the facts. If graffiti is the problem, they address it. If the holiday season traditionally invites crimes of opportunity, they discuss preventative measures.
“We’ll talk about different initiatives we’ve taken in the past month, whether it is speed enforcement in certain areas or if we concentrated some surveillance hours in certain places because of larceny,” he said. “So, this has been a good way to get that information out there so people know what is going on in the community.”
During a recent Coffee with the Chiefs, Julian reported on the number of incidents that DES responded to in the housing areas. He also discussed how law enforcement handles abandoned vehicles. Afterward, Fire Chief Jason Brunet spoke about home heating safety and addressed a concern about gas leaks.
“For us, this has been a great way to interact with community members when we’re not on an emergency scene trying to take care of an incident,” Brunet said. “With Thanksgiving coming up, we can talk about safety with gas grills outside or turkey fryers and try to lessen the risk of incidents on post.”
Dean Harrison, MCH project director, said that the monthly Coffee with the Chiefs forum is open for all Fort Drum residents to attend if they have specific questions about emergency services or want to hear the latest about fire safety, changes in traffic patterns, crime statistics and everything in between.
“Fort Drum Mountain Community Homes values our residents’ safety and security,” he said. “Along with the safety of our employees, it is our top priority. So, we work closely in partnership with the garrison’s fire and police professionals to connect emergency services to our communities.”
Coffee with the Chiefs is held every month at a different community center on post. Residents can stay informed about this and other MCH events through the Resident Portal or at www.facebook.com/fortdrummch/events.
“I am thankful for the time and professionalism that Chief Todd Julian, Chief Jason Brunet, and their teams devote to this monthly event and to our great community in general,” Harrison said. “We’re lucky to have the best at Fort Drum’s Directorate of Emergency Services.”
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