Joe ​Devoe was one of a number of Guilderland Police officers at the Starbucks on Western Avenue in McKownville Saturday, an event that let local residents chat with members of Guilderland’s police force. Jonathan Brown and his father, Eric Brown, were visiting from Providence, Rhode Island. Devoe gave them tips on places in town that might be fun for kids.

Eric Brown said that Devoe’s was not an easy job and noted that, once in a while, there are cops who don’t seem well suited to the job. Devoe agreed and said that departments make an effort to prevent those people from becoming officers, first through the tough interview and background check process, and then through training. It’s a “learning curve,” he said of the way that police departments change their interview questions to better “reflect the times.”