‘I want to be a cop when I grow up’: Central Oregon law enforcement and kids enjoy 2023 Shop with a Cop
(Update: Adding video, comments from DCSO, participant)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office is granting holiday wishes with the annual Shop with a Cop Shop program, which began Tuesday at the Redmond Walmart and moved to Bend's Walmart for more shopping excursions Wednesday and Thursday.
Kids were eager to fill their carts with gifts for their families at the Bend Walmart on Wednesday. There were 25 kids going up and down the aisles with their shopping partners, trying to select the perfect presents, and 25 more will get to do so Thursday.
Students in the program are referred by the Family Access Network at schools across Deschutes County.
Officers picked up the students from school and brought them to Walmart for the unique shopping experience.
"It's a great program," Lt. Bryan Husband said. "We received donations throughout the year from businesses and people in our community that are able to provide a Christmas for kids that wouldn't normally be able to shop for themselves or their family members and have a traditional Christmas."
Young Participant Silas Brown agreed: "It was great!" Asked the beset part, he said, "Just getting all the presents, and plus I want to be a cop when I grow up."
Here's DCSO's information about the program::
Shop with a Cop is a joint venture between local law enforcement agencies throughout Central Oregon and local Walmart stores. The 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.
Shop with a Cop is completely funded by donations from our community. Many businesses, organizations, and individual citizens donate money to the program. No tax dollars are spent on this program. In addition to shopping for the students, Shop with a Cop provides a Christmas meal for participating families. We apply 100% of community donations to this local program.
Participating students are referred by the Family Access Network (FAN) advocate for the schools within Deschutes County. Additional students are referred via the Central Oregon Partnership for Youth (COPY) program, which provides positive mentoring for children of incarcerated parents.
Shop with a Cop is overseen and coordinated by the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office. However, its continued success stems from the participation of deputies from the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, officers and deputies from agencies throughout Central Oregon, the Oregon State Police, and law enforcement from the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, and the Bureau of Land Management.
Shop with a Cop has also been overwhelmingly successful in past years because of the outstanding generosity, in the form of monetary support, from local citizens and businesses. Volunteer support for the program has always been a critical part of the program's success as well.
December 12, 2023, 11:00 am-4:00 pm- Redmond Walmart
December 13, 2023, 11:00 am-4:00 pm- Bend Walmart
December 14, 2023, 11:00 am-4:00 pm- Bend Walmart
