Shop with a Cop Brings Uninterrupted Christmas Positivity to La Grande Students
By Garrett Christensen on Thursday, December 22nd, 2022 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
LA GRANDE – It’s the season of giving, and who better to give back to the community than those who already spend all year keeping it safe. On December 13, the La Grande Police Department along with the Oregon State Police, Union County Sheriff’s Department and several civilian volunteers hosted the annual Shop with a Cop event, both giving back to La Grande youth and helping them give back to others.
Each year, local law enforcement works with the La Grande School District to put on a special day for a select group of kids. Students that school counselors feel may need some Christmas positivity are paired with an officer for a fun day of Christmas shopping. Students are taken out of school for part of the day and meet the volunteers at Walmart where they are provided lunch and get to Christmas shop.
This isn’t just any old shopping trip though as the students get to spend time with their local officers and get help in picking out gifts for their family. Afterword, volunteers let the students pick out something for themselves. If time and space allow, students will also get to ride home in a patrol car and have the officers meet their families. As LGPD Detective Scott Norton also noted, “a lot of times we’ll turn on the lights and sirens when we get to their house and scare their parents. The kids love it!”
This year, 15 students participated in Shop with a Cop and, according to Detective Norton, had quite a memorable day. Students were happy to spend some time away from class shopping for their families, especially those that had been part of Shop with a Cop before. As Norton described it:
“It was a good group. All the stories I heard…from the ones that got off the bus and were like, ‘hey! You’ve been at my house before!’ It’s nice to just have a truly positive experience where we’re not there when they’re not having a great day or their family’s not having a great day, to just have a truly positive experience that’s just really fun.”
For some of the officers, the memorability also comes from getting to know the students and seeing their excitement and positivity. As Norton descried the experience with his student:
“This year, he was fantastic. He just turned twelve and he was on point. He had everything planned out. We went in, he got everything done, we were able to talk about sports and what he was involved in in school. It was really neat getting to know him.”
Christmas is a time for giving and a time for cheer. Though unfortunate that not every family can find unconditional positivity once the calendar hits December, the annual efforts of the LGPD and other law enforcement volunteers ensures that there will always be a bit more cheer to go around for kids in their community.
