Shop with a Cop delivers holiday cheer for hundreds

Hundreds of children from Bartholomew and Brown counties were treated to individual shopping sprees over the weekend at the west side Walmart on Merchant Mile.

Shop With A Cop began Saturday when law enforcement officers from Brown County escorted about 50 children from disadvantaged households through the store to provide them with clothing and toys.

On Sunday afternoon, nearly 150 local kids went on identical shopping trips with officers from the Columbus Police Department, the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department, the Indiana State Police, Department of Natural Resources, town marshals and jail correctional staff members.

Generally speaking, each child is allowed to spend between $60 to $70 on toys while the remainder of the money — which has climbed as high as $250 per child in recent years — is spent on clothing and other necessities to help them get through the winter.

Shop With A Cop is sponsored by the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 89. Longtime lodge president Alan Trisler says the list of young participants filled up within two weeks after registrations began in early November.

The event is aimed at school-age children from kindergarten through sixth grade, the lodge president said.

“We want to get kids who are at an impressionable age who understand what a police officer does, but may be confused on what our role is when it comes to being helpful,” Trisler said. “We want them to know we’re doing more than just responding when there are crimes or problems.”

Ideally, Shop With A Cop strives to gain the trust of children, so the kids know that if they need help, they can count on an officer, Trisler said. For grade school students who want to talk or simply hang out with an adult, the FOP president hopes they understand an officer is always willing to listen.

Although inflation has had an impact on the charity, many children are pleasantly surprised at how much was spent on their needs and wants last weekend, Trisler said.

While it was harder to raise money this year than in 2021, Shop With A Cop was able to avoid a significant shortage of heavy winter coats for the kids. After a supply chain problem greatly limited how many coats were available in recent years, Walmart put out an extra effort to ensure they had sufficient winter coats in stock, Trisler said.

Money raised for the FOP Youth Programs isn’t just for shopping sprees. The officers have provided funds to a number of youth-oriented programs that experienced a financial shortfall this year, the FOP president said.

How you can help

Due largely to the unstable economy and inflation, contributions to the Shop With A Cop program are lower than they have been in recent years.

However, donations are accepted all year long. Checks can be made out to the FOP Youth Program, and mailed to P.O. Box 204, Columbus, IN 47202.

Contributions can also be made at the Columbus Police Department and the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Department.