Shop with a Cop Brings Local Law Enforcement Together With Nearly 100 Kids

On Saturday, December 3rd close to 100 kids shopped for holiday gifts with Sheriff's deputies and police from area law enforcement agencies,

It was a day filled with the holiday spirit and giving.

Correctional officers, civilian staff, Explorers and Police Aides all volunteered for the event. McDonald's hosted breakfast and had Ronald McDonald on hand to greet the shoppers as they arrive at the Walmart along Layton Boulevard with a full police escort.

Then on Monday it was Waukesha County Emergency responders turn at the Meijer store.

  They call it "Shop with a Hero" and more than 30 kids took part.

They were paired up with police, EMT's and firefighters.

Sheriff David Clarke first became aware of "Shop With a Cop" while visiting family in Green Bay when he saw the nationally acclaimed program advertised in a local newspaper.  The program builds positive relationships among law enforcement officers and young people in the community.  In 2007, Sheriff Clarke started the program in Milwaukee County.

The Sheriff's Office reached out to the Milwaukee-area business community and successfully secured funding for the program for its tenth year.  Donations will allow children from Journey House, Boys and Girls Club, Neighborhood House, the SOS Center - a non-profit social services agency, and the Lighthouse Youth Center to enjoy breakfast and a day of holiday shopping with a law enforcement officer.

Each child from first through eighth grades was paired with a law enforcement officer.  They boarded a chartered bus at Journey House and headed to the Hilton City Center downtown for a catered breakfast and then to Walmart.  

At Walmart, the children were able to purchase up to $100 of gifts for family members and themselves.   After shopping, they went back to Journey House where volunteers from Girl Scouts, Kohl's Cares, and the community will wrap their gifts with them, and the kids  took pictures with Santa and enjoyed pizza and holiday activities.   

Sheriff's deputies were joined by police officers from Milwaukee, Fox Point, Greenfield, Greendale, Hales Corners, Oak Creek, St. Francis, West Allis, Wisconsin State Fair Park,  Marquette University and UW-Milwaukee, along with deputy marshals from the US Marshals Service.

"This is a great opportunity to make a child's holiday a little brighter," said Sheriff Clarke. "If we influence children early, we can forge a positive perception of law enforcement officers that will last a lifetime."   

The MCSO thanks all the participating businesses and organizations for their monetary and in-kind donations which make this event possible:  Jani-King, The Marcus Corporation, Surg Restaurant Group, McDonald's, Walmart, Journey House, Go Riteway, The Business Journal, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Lamar Outdoor Advertising, SEVVA Salon and Nail Boutique, and Distinctively Different Quartet.  A special thank you to anonymous individual contributors who sponsored children for this event.

You can review our live facebook feed of the arrival by looking in the videos section of the CBS 58 fb page.                      
**Media is welcome to attend this wonderful event**

Share this article: