Shop With a Cop: Embarking On Group Deployment of Joy

In the middle of Target at Beltway Plaza on Saturday December 21, Master Police Officer Carlos Torres stood next to the women’s sweaters and stopped to ask his partners about sizes. Captain Gordon Pracht already had a pink Care Bear in the cart and he and his partner were ready to roll. Another team was moving toward the Legos. Sergeant Scott Kaiser stood by at the register. Greenbelt Police were deployed on a mission of joy. Shop with a Cop, an annual outing for low-income students who live in Franklin Park and attend Springhill Lake Elementary School, took about an hour in the store. The 25 students then rode in the police cars to the Greenbelt Fire Station where they ate pizza and officers helped them wrap the presents. But first, the shopping. Just as they’ve done for the last 13 years, administrative and staff selected students and sent home invitations and permission slips. With a budget of about $200 per person, the fourth and fifth graders were expected to come with a list of present ideas for their family. They paired up with an officer and the shopping carts rolled. Rubin was getting a sweater for his mom. Erwin wanted a doll for his sister. Carmin said she wanted a sweater for her dad. And Rosslyn said her cousin needed a book. The students and officers practically pranced through the store. They bonded over a shared admiration of race cars. They joked about the merits of slime – a tactile toy whose name says it all. They laughed about books, finally settling on Dr. Seuss for a 3-year-old brother and a chapter book for a 9-year-old sister. “She’s really smart,” the student shopper explained. In short order, the presents were off the shelves and the students, carts and officers lined up at the registers that Target held open exclusively for the Shop with a Cop participants. Bags were filled with baby clothes for younger siblings, sweaters for parents, warm clothing, books and toys. “Most of the kids are buying things to help their family,” said Kaiser, saying he’s seen pots and pans, brooms and normal life items as well as more celebratory purchases. The students were also encouraged to get something for themselves, though judging from the conversations, pajamas were not a popular item. Kaiser had run the program for 13 years. This year he passed the reins on to Torres. Even so, it was Kaiser who juggled the gift cards at the end so that kids who went $5 over were covered by those who went $5 under. All of the money for the event came from donations, said Torres. He said there was about $1,000 in private contributions, as well as money given by the Fraternal Order of Police, Mission BBQ and Target. The Platinum Roller Motorcycle Club also provided adults to take the students around the store. And Three Brothers donated lots of pizza and other food for the party at the firehouse. As they waited for everyone to check out, one student asked how he would tell whose present was whose once he wrapped it. A police officer promised to help at the fire station and said that when he wrapped presents, he used a different colored wrapping paper for each person. And with that suggestion, Greenbelt Police offered a way of having a colorful as well as more plentiful holiday.