It’s easy to be intimidated by law enforcement personnel, what with their stern uniforms and the guns on their hips, and that can be a serious problem.

Residents who don’t feel comfortable around police might not feel comfortable reaching out for help or sharing information that could lead to the solving of crimes.

To overcome that stigma, troopers from the Michigan State Police-Alpena Post and other Northeast Michigan agencies will participate in a number of Coffee with a Cop events around the area this month.

Northeast Michigan events include:

∫ 9 am. to 10 a.m. Monday at Kortman’s Restaurant, 481 N. Bradley Highway, Rogers City,

∫ 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. July 25 at Teresa’s Diner, 105 S. State St., Harrisville,

∫ 9 to 10 a.m. July 26 at Cabin Creek Coffee, 201 N. 2nd Ave., Alpena,

∫ and 9 to 10 a.m. Aug. 1 at the White Elk Coffee House, 12315 S. State St., Atlanta.

At the events, police will talk about their work and answer questions from participants in a relaxed setting meant to show police are nothing more than our friends and neighbors who decided they wanted to give back to their communities by putting on a badge.

We encourage any Northeast Michigander who can make it to show up to one of the Coffee with a Cop events to get to know our local police officers.