By Taylor MacPherson

Shop with a Cop event brings cheer to P.A. kids

Dec 8, 2016 | 4:00 PM

Grade 7 student Tashia Sanderson had never bought Christmas presents for her family before, but she had the opportunity today, along with the added bonus of a personal police escort.

For the sixth year running, P.A. Police teamed up with Crime Stoppers and Canadian Tire to bring Christmas cheer to local kids through their Shop with a Cop event. Twenty-five P.A. students in Grades 1 to 8 were assigned a police partner and given a $100 Canadian Tire gift card to purchase gifts for family and friends. The participating students were selected by school staff for displaying respect and good behaviour.

“I bought rainbow Hot Wheels and Lego for my sister and brother” Sanderson said, smiling broadly next to Sgt. Eric Tiessen. “It was great.”

Sanderson said she was able to buy a gift for each of her three brothers and three sisters with her $100 gift card, and made friends with Tiessen along the way.

In addition to spreading Christmas cheer during the holiday season, the event is meant to create positive interactions between police and P.A.’s younger residents.

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“They just get to know the officer as a person as opposed to a police officer,” Community Relations Officer and event organizer Sgt. Travis Willie told paNOW.

“They see past the uniform,” he said. “They get to know the officer they’re paired up with by their first name.”

Willie said Shop with a Cop makes the officers participating just as happy as kids on Christmas.

“Not only are the kids smiling, but all the police officers are smiling,” Willie said. “We have officers ranging in service from very junior right up to our chief and his administration, and everyone’s smiling. It’s a pretty neat event and rewarding.”

Willie thanked Canadian Tire, Crime Stoppers, P.A. Northern Bus Lines, P.A. High Noon Optimist Club and P.A. McDonald’s for their sponsorship of the event.

“Without them, we couldn’t do this,” he said.

After their shopping spree, the officers treated students to lunch at McDonald’s before bussing them back to their schools.

Taylor.macpherson@jpbg.ca

@TMacPhersonNews