About 110 children were allowed to shop with money raised from golf tourney
Published in the December 23, 2015 – January 5, 2016 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Marty Cheek
Photo by Marty Cheek
Children check out some of the gifts they received during the “Shop With a Cop” program at Target earlier this month.
El Toro Elementary School fourth-grader Elijah Castro’s eyes grew large as he marched through the entrance to the Morgan Hill Target store escorted by a police officer. The 10-year-old boy’s mind was focused on a mission: find $100 worth of toys, clothes and maybe a book or game. Morgan Hill officer Carson Thomas was there to chaperon him in the MHPD’s inaugural “Shop with a Cop” shopping excursion Dec. 8.
About 25 uniformed Morgan Hill police officers in their volunteer time helped between 110 and 115 fourth graders in the shopping spree paid for with money raised in the Coyote Creek Golf Club tournament organized by the Morgan Hill Police Officers’ Association’s Charitable Foundation Oct. 23.
“It was fun because I got to get, like, toys and clothes and stuff,” Castro said. “I got a Pokemon shirt and a Pokemon shiny laser pack. I got a Lego ‘Star Wars’ set.”
For his sister, he picked a package of Shopkins figurine dolls. He said he planned to tell everyone about the fun experience shopping with a cop when he goes back to school.
The children selected to participate in the Shop with a Cop are being rewarded for excelling in school and making good decisions, Thomas said. Even though the shopping trip only lasts about 30 minutes, the children get to have a positive contact with a law enforcement official that they share with their school buddies and their families, he said.
“Too bad we can’t do this for every kid in Morgan Hill who makes good decisions,” he said. “But it’s great to recognize kids who day in and day out are leaders in their schools. It’s a great time not just to give back but so they can see us outside of our normal enforcement roles. They get to hang out. We get to talk with the kids.”
Camdin Heninger, 10, a fourth-grader at Charter School, had a toothy-grin smile on her face when she explained why she liked roaming the Target store aisles with MHPD Captain Shane Palsgrove.
“It’s fun because… I don’t know,” she said and giggled. “I got a coloring bag and some boots. I feel really good that I got some things.”
She encourages other kids to do well in school and be good so that they can go through the same shopping trip next year.
Palsgrove explained why he volunteered for the morning event.
“We get to learn about Camdin and she gets rewarded for doing a good job at school,” he said. “We get to spend some time with her because, normally, we don’t get to spend much time with the youth.”
Heninger added: “I like cops because they keep us safe.”
Morgan Hill Police Chief David Swing puts decorative ‘reindeer antlers’ on a fourth-grade student taking part in this year’s Shop With a Cop event at the local Target store. More than 110 children received $100 each in toys, clothes and books. Photo by Sharron Daniel
MHPD Sgt. Carlos Guerrero said that the MHPOA’s foundation seeks to raise funds to help families and children in the community. In past years, it has given money to Community Solutions as well as children with cancer.
Other police departments in the Bay Area have Shop With a Cop programs and so the foundation decided to try it for the first time this year at the local Target.
“It’s a perfect way to give back and make friends with these young kids. This is a perfect positive connection with these young kids,” Guerrero said. “We asked teachers to select kids who are an example to others, who do well in school,who other kids should look up to.”
This year’s Shop With a Cop was so popular with both the students and the officers that the foundation plans to make it an annual holiday tradition, he said. The participating Morgan Hill officers were all off-duty, he said.
“Personally, this is the best thing I’ve ever done in my law enforcement career over 20 years of volunteering time,” he said. “And giving back to the community, this connection is something we just don’t get. A lot of times when we visit children, unfortunately there’s a negative aspect to it or they see us and say, ‘Oh no, the police are here. Something bad must have happened.’ And we don’t have that here. The interactions are all positive, they’re happy and they get to walk away with something they remember us by.”
The police officers chose fourth graders for the shopping tour because studies show that between fourth and fifth grade children decide on their behavior patterns — are they going to be good kids or are they going to have some issues in life, Guerrero said.
“We want to get them right now where they’re making that life decision for their future and show them that being good and being good role models is going to get them far in life.”
Morgan Hill Police Chief David Swing said he sees a potential “ripple effect” among students who participate in the Shop With a Cop program.
“We hope that by acknowledging and rewarding kids who are seen as leaders with a positive impact in their school environment, that encourages others to model that same behavior,” Swing said.
It benefits the children because they develop a positive relationship with a police officer and that’s in alignment with the city council’s goals of supporting youth, he said.
Benefits come to the cops as well, he said.
“The men and women of our police department are dedicated professionals day in and day out, and unfortunately law enforcement usually deal with people in their greatest time of need. And that can wear on people because cops are humans too,” Swing said. “This is an opportunity to interact with people in a positive environment and kind of being a part of bringing cheer to their holiday season.”
