Shop with a Cop

I was able to join Brad and the 100+officers,it was so much fun to see the childrens faces. Our kid was Jose, he was 9 and did not talk much about his home life. We had to talk him into spending the ALL the money they gave him. 18th Annual Shop With A Cop 2008 The wind had picked up and the clouds were piling up to the North as we waited in the early morning darkness outside the West Jordan K-Mart. A record snowfall had grounded Santa last year and with the impending storm, we were concerned. With eyes turned skyward we heard the whomp, whomp, whomping of a helicopter making its approach and we knew then that Santa was on his way. . . Very early on Saturday, December 13th the Little America downtown had seen the arrival of still sleepy children and their parents as they lined up to complete their registration and receive their official Shop With A Cop t-shirts. At this point parents kissed their kids good-bye, made sure they had their wish lists, and told them to have fun. Some nervous, some shy, the kids were ushered through the double doors and into the banquet room where they were met with an eye-popping array of donuts, muffins, and other breakfast goodies. Paired with their officers and introductions out of the way, kids and cops sat down and got to know each other. As tensions eased, the room filled with a cacophony of voices, punctuated now and again by the deep voice of an officer getting everyone’s attention so that Rita could make an announcement, or a sudden peal of laughter. The usual hi-jinks ensued as flashlights, handcuffs, etc. were inspected and tried out. Lists were checked and shopping strategies reviewed before the announcement was made that it was time to leave. Crumbs and chocolate moustaches were wiped from little faces and coats were donned as cops and kids made their way out to 5th South where the patrol cars were waiting. This year’s ‘caravan of cop cars’ made its way onto I-15 and traveled south to 9000 South, where they lit the lights and cranked the sirens as they turned west and headed to K-mart. They arrived just in time to meet Santa as the helicopter made a single pass before landing in the parking lot. Santa and Frosty disembarked to the roar of a cheering crowd and the whomp, whomp of the helicopter as it lifted off and headed back to base before the storm. The wind continued to blow and kids stood in awe while cops snapped pictures and Santa made his way inside, shaking hands dispensing hugs, and spreading laughter along the way. Once inside the doors, carts were readied, shopping lists unfolded, and the race began. Depending on their shopping strategy, cops and kids sprinted in all directions. Some hit the shoe aisle first, picking up boots, new sneakers, or even slippers, some headed for the coats and clothes, and more than a few headed to the toy aisles. Given the many choices available, some of the kids had a hard time deciding ― this is where negotiation skills came into play. We saw one officer working diligently to convince a little boy, who professed to being a regular card shark, that his money would probably be better spent somewhere other than on the poker set that would have used all his funds. As usual, you saw the boys in blue waiting patiently while their little pink divas browsed the Barbie aisle, or looked for just the right dress, holding each and every one up for approval. In addition, there was a little “nerf football” being played in the aisles, as well as some “bicycle testing” going on ― sheepish looks were exchanged when the “big boys” were caught in the act! What the heck, the day was all about having fun. Every year we get our hearts wrenched and the world put in perspective when these little shoppers want to use all of their funds to shop for others ― parents, siblings and even grand-parents. It often takes some serious convincing by the officers to get them to buy something for themselves. On a lighter note, every year we see some pretty strange items going into the carts. One year a little boy insisted that he had to buy some tapes for his grandma. The officer took the little boy to the electronics department and attempted to get him to choose a cassette tape, the child kept insisting that wasn’t what he wanted. Fit to be tied, they left the department. As they were walking down the stationary aisle the little boy cried out, “There they are. That’s them!” as he pointed to the scotch tape dispensers. Problem solved. One year a little boy went to great lengths to choose just the right frying pan, and this year it was toilet paper ― never did find out the story behind that! Once the carts had reached capacity they were wheeled to the check-out stands where K-Mart employees tallied up the booty. From the check-out stands they headed over to talk with Santa and get their pictures taken. Then it was on to the volunteers who wrapped their presents with colorful paper and decorated them with pretty ribbons. By now parents had begun to arrive to take charge of the little shoppers. There was plenty of handshaking and hugs for both cops and kids as they headed out the door and home.