This holiday season, the Richmond County School System Police Department continued its annual “Shop With a Cop” program, which allows kids across the school district to pick and buy toys for Christmas, alongside police officers.
Thirty third-grade students from across the Richmond County School System were selected to participate this year, and shopping took place on Saturday morning at the Walmart on Wrightsboro Road.
Participating children were armed with $100 each – money donated by community members and the RCSS officers themselves.
Lasting holiday impact
For years, “Shop With a Cop” has been making a difference in the lives of local children and their families, providing not only material gifts but also creating lasting memories and strong connections with local law enforcement.
“We try to take the opportunity to allow the kids to see us in a different light…we’re human and provide a resource, so you want to see us become more personable,” said Chief Mantrell Wilson, director of Public Safety.
Wilson said that over the past three years that he’s been involved in the event, he’s been moved particularly by the children who reach for necessities rather than playthings.
“There are situations that you would think that children were going to buy toys, but they end up going to buy household items, and so it can be a tear jerker…it gets to be an emotional event,” he said.
