Deschutes SO planning ‘Shop With a Cop’

Plans are under way for the 2012 Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office Shop with a Cop program, and your help is sought.

Shop with a Cop is a joint venture between local law enforcement agencies throughout Deschutes County, and local Wal-Mart stores. Its primary focus is to help make the holidays a little brighter for less-fortunate families, and provide an opportunity for children to engage in positive police interaction.

The dates for this year’s events are:

• Tuesday, December 18th, Redmond Wal-Mart, from approximately 1-5pm
• Wednesday, December 19th, Redmond Wal-Mart, from approximately 1-5pm
• Thursday, December 20th, Bend Wal-Mart, from approximately 1-5pm

This year will be the twelfth year this event has taken place. The program has come a long way since its inception in 2001; that year, 20 school-aged students went shopping, and the $1500 in donations came from employees at the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office.

Thanks to the generosity of Deschutes County citizens and local businesses, last year we were able to shop for 117 school-aged children (grades 1-12) from schools in Deschutes County including shopping for approximately 550 family members.

Students are picked up by officers at their respective schools and driven to Wal-Mart where they enjoy a “one-on-one” shopping experience with their uniformed partner. While gifts are being wrapped, the students are treated to lunch, donated by the in-store McDonald’s restaurants.

Although Shop with a Cop is overseen and coordinated by the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, its continued success stems from the participation of officers from the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, police departments throughout Deschutes County, the Oregon State Police and U.S. Forest Service and BLM law enforcement.

An “information only” hotline number with basic information about Shop with a Cop will be established at 541.550.4880.

We are asking for your help again this year as the need for this program has never been greater. If you would like to make a monetary contribution towards this year’s program, donations can be dropped off during normal business hours at the main Sheriff’s Office in Bend, or at the Sheriff’s Office’s substations in La Pine and Sisters. Checks, made out to “DESCHUTES COUNTY SHERIFF SWAC,” can also be mailed to:

Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office
Attn: Shop with a Cop program
63333 West Highway 20
Bend, OR 97701

Additional information regarding Shop with a Cop, including a pictorial presentation, will be posted at the Deschutes County website (www.deschutes.org) and the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office website (www.deschutes/org/sheriff) in the near future.

Contact: Capt. Shane Nelson 541-617-3386
Cpl. Neil Mackey 541-617-3325
Technician Laura Conard 541-383-4431

Thank you so much for your support…together, we CAN make a big difference
in the lives of many individuals and families!