Shop with a Cop sheds softer light on police
GIRL GIFTS – Little Khloe Poston picked out a pretty pink toboggan as one of her gifts during Shop with a Cop. HPD patrolman, Jermille Elliot had the pleasure of shopping with Poston last Thursday evening.
by Danny Wade
Riding in the back of a police car typically is not a good thing—that is unless it is the Shop with a Cop event. Last Thursday, dozens of local kids had a wonderful time interacting with law enforcement officers, firefighters and other first responders.
Humboldt Police Department’s Lt. Jonathan Wilson heads up Shop with a Cop each year and this year was one their biggest ever with over 40 kids participating and even more first responders. HPD partners with Humboldt City Schools for Shop with a Cop. The school system selects children who fit specific criteria to participate.
Even though this was a Humboldt Police Department event, several other agencies had representatives to assist, including Humboldt Fire Department, police departments from Medina, Jackson, Dyer and Rutherford, sheriff departments from Gibson, Madison and Crockett counties, Tennessee Highway Patrol, and Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI).
The annual event began at East Elementary School on December 17 at 5 p.m. Kids and their parents began trickling in, along with police, fire and other professionals, and school staff members. Everyone enjoyed pizza. This was a time for everyone to socialize and get to know each other. Each child was matched up with an officer.
Jolly ole St. Nick made an appearance. Santa Claus went around the cafeteria and personally talked with each boy and girl. Some were a little scared of him, while others gave him a great big hug.
Lt. Josh Bomer sizes up a pair of pants for Mark’tavious Tomlin-Williams.
After everyone had their fill of pizza, Lt. Wilson explained how the evening would go with each child getting $225 to spend. A parent had to accompany their child or children.
That is when the fun continued as they exited the school cafeteria and made their way to the vehicles. Some got to ride in police cars, some with deputies and some rode with their parents. The smiles on the kids’ faces were filled with excitement. One by one, each emergency vehicle pulled out of the school parking lot to form a large convoy with lights flashing and sirens blaring. They slowly trekked along the route to Walmart.
Bystanders watched with fervor to see what all the ruckus was about with so many emergency vehicles coming to the store. They were relieved as they learned it was Shop with a Cop event instead of a 5-alarm emergency call.
As everyone entered the entrance of the store, they all gathered together for a photo opp. Cameras and phones were snapping picture after picture, which made the thrill of anticipation even higher for the kids.
SRO Dennis Bowens with Grace Poston
Next was when the real fun began. Each child with Christmas list in hand, a parent and officer grabbed a shopping cart, and it was off to the races. The $225 for the child had only one stipulation—$100 had to be used for things of need, such as clothes, shoes, coats, toiletries or other necessities. The rest could be used for anything the child wanted. The toy aisles and clothing department were busy with a few traffic jams, but that did not matter. Everyone was having a wonderful time.
The spirit of giving was not only from the law enforcement professionals, but from the children as well. Many of kids participating in Shop with a Cop have siblings. They used some of the money to purchase gifts for them, out of the goodness of their hearts.
Once the total of all the gifts were tallied, each group (child, parent, professional) made their way to one of the three designated check-out registers just for Shop with a Cop. Lt. Wilson had the gifts cards. Once all of the kid’s purchases were scanned, Wilson handed the cashier a card to make the purchase. If a card had a little bit of money left on it, Wilson would tuck it away, just in case someone’s purchase went over just a tad bit.
For these children, Shop with a Cop made their Christmas brighter, and they may have made a new friend in a police officer or firefighter along the way.
Dispatcher Ebony Patterson shops with Mar’quoise Poston (left) and Zayden Rose (right).
Shop with a Cop is a means to bridge the gap between children and officers. It shows the kids a softer, friendlier side of law enforcement. Another factor in creating these type relationships is the SRO (student resource officer) at the schools. Kids need to gain trust in police and other emergency professionals. This goes for the parents too. There may be a time where they are needed.
Unfortunately, when the public has encounters with law enforcement, it is often a bad situation. It may be due to an accident or where medical assistance is needed. It may be where a crime has been committed against them or maybe, they were the one committing the crime. Police officers need to have a positive image with the community and Shop with a Cop is a perfect way to build trust.
This year, Humboldt Police Officer Association collected enough to sponsor 42 kids. At $225 a pop, that totals out at just under $10,000. All of this money comes from donations and not from the city of Humboldt. Many of the officers donate to the cause out of their own pockets. If you would like to make a donation to Shop with a Cop for the 2025 event and help make a child’s Christmas a lot better, contact Lt. Wilson at HPD.
Little Za’Maya Dennis chats with Santa Claus during Shop with a Cop.
PTL Brandon Swift shopping with Jackson Amistead
SHOP WITH A COP – Over 40 Humboldt children, along with dozens of law enforcement officers and firefighters, participated in Shop with a Cop last Thursday evening. The group enjoyed pizza at East Elementary and then made their way to Walmart where each kid was able to purchase $225 of Christmas goodies.
