Residents can grab a free coffee and chat with local law enforcement at Brooklyn Cafe on Panther Creek Drive on Thursday, Aug. 20, the latest in The Woodlands Township's summer series of informal community-police meetups.

The "Coffee & Bagels with a Cop" event runs from 8 to 9 a.m. at Brooklyn Cafe, 4775 W. Panther Creek Drive, according to the Township's event listing. No registration is required.

There are no speeches and no agenda. Officers sit with whoever shows up, and the conversation follows whatever residents want to talk about.

The Aug. 20 gathering is the fourth community-policing meetup the Township has organized this summer, following "Sirens and Snow Cones" on June 26 at Capstone Park, "Shakes with a Sheriff" on July 10 at Milkshake Factory on Research Forest Drive, and a Coffee with a Cop event on Aug. 18 at the Kroger Starbucks, 8000 Research Forest Drive.

The Township's event listing does not specify which law enforcement agency will attend, saying only "local law enforcement." Montgomery County Sheriff's Office deputies and constable precinct officers have appeared at previous installments.

The event also falls on the same day as the Township's "Salute to First Responders" blood drive, which runs from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Township Town Hall. Residents could attend both in a single morning.

Coffee with a Cop is a national program that started in 2011 in Hawthorne, California, and has since grown into a nonprofit behind more than 15,000 events across all 50 states and 40 countries. The program recommends holding events in coffee shops and restaurants rather than government buildings to create a neutral, drop-in atmosphere.

Looking ahead, the Township's community-policing calendar continues with National Night Out on Oct. 4. Early-bird party registration closes Sept. 4.

For more information about the Aug. 20 event, contact Alex Cosson, program specialist at The Woodlands Township, at 281-210-3800 or [email protected].