Naperville residents can sit down with Police Chief Jason Arres over coffee Wednesday and ask questions about public safety in their neighborhoods.
Arres and other Naperville Police Department (NPD) leaders will be at Sweet Toast Café, 2035 S. Washington St., Suite 135, from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 14. The drop-in event has no formal agenda. Residents can stop by any time during the 90-minute window.
The gathering is part of the NPD's recurring Chat with the Chief series, which rotates among Naperville businesses several times a year. The city's announcement described the format as informal conversation rather than a structured meeting.
"Community policing starts with conversation, and I always appreciate the opportunity to sit down with residents and hear directly from them … Whether you have a question, a concern, an idea, or simply want to get to know some of the people who serve your community, we'd like to see you," Arres said in the Oct. 6 announcement.
The last Chat with the Chief was held July 21 at Arwa Yemeni Coffee on South Route 59. At a separate Public Safety Open House on Sept. 26, Arres told NCTV17 that resident involvement is central to the city's safety record. He called Naperville "the number one safest city in the country for a town our size" and said great policing alone does not account for it. Residents who are "vigilant about their safety" play an equal role, he said at the Aurora Avenue event.
Sweet Toast Café is on South Washington Street near 75th Street in south Naperville. The series has previously visited locations along the Route 59 corridor and in other parts of the city.
Business owners interested in hosting a future Chat with the Chief can email [email protected]. More information about the series is available at www.naperville.il.us/npd/chatwithchief.
No additional dates for the series have been announced.
City Hall week ahead
- Wednesday, Oct. 14, noon–1:30 p.m. — Chat with the Chief, Sweet Toast Café, 2035 S. Washington St., Suite 135. Drop in to talk public safety with Chief Arres and NPD leaders. No RSVP required.
Full city meeting schedules and agendas are posted at naperville.il.us.
