Shop with a Cop: Officers carry out special duty

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Nevada Daily Mail

Smiles? Check.

Lists? Check.

Kids? Check.

Gift wrap? Check.

Holiday helpers? Check.

The members of the Nevada Police Department had all they needed in place for Saturday's special mission. That's when officers joined forces with youth from Heartland Behavioral Health Services to make sure some children from local families who are facing financial hardship had a very merry Christmas.

The officers, their family members and the Heartland youth took eight children to the local Wal-Mart on Saturday, for the annual "Shop with a Cop" event.

A press release said the morning's effort was a "huge success and a lot of fun for young and old."

Nevada Police Capt. Casey Crain said, "The purpose of the 'Shop with a Cop' program is to provide gifts to disadvantaged children and their families and to allow for the kids to interact with law enforcement officers in a positive setting."

Heartland youth helped with the shopping, and with wrapping packages for the kids to take home to their family members.

The Nevada Parks and Recreation Department also provided games for the kids and helped each child make a photo frame for a picture with Santa and their police officer friend.

The program is funded solely by donations from the community. Many service organizations, business owners and individuals take the opportunity to give back through this program. This year, Corey Johnson of CMJ Financial Center, led the way by making a sizeable donation to Shop with a Cop last summer.

Nevada Police Chief Graham Burnley said. "I want to thank all those who made this wonderful event possible by making their generous donations to "Shop with a Cop. I'm very proud of our police, who came out while off duty and donated their time to make this very positive impact on our community."

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