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Shop with a Cop helps local children
Officers representing five local law enforcement agencies descended on the Greencastle Walmart on Monday morning for the 15th annual Shop with a Cop event, which is put on by the Fraternal Order of Police.
Nineteen officers from the Greencastle Police Department, Indiana Excise Police, Putnam County Sheriff's Department, Cloverdale Police Department and the Indiana State Police helped children in need of school supplies and clothes pick out a variety of essentials.
"The big picture is that law enforcement gets to interact with children in a non-job related way," FOP President Jerrod Baugh said. "It's an opportunity for us to interact with kids in a positive environment."
Children are selected through counselor recommendations from each of the four area school corporations. The FOP then sends out letters asking if they would be interested in participating in the program.
"We've been doing this for a long time," Baugh said. "It's always supported the local community through the fundraiser that we have at the beginning of summer. It's maintained a positive influence."
This year 29 children participated in the event, each with a budget of $150, which is determined on the number of participants each year as well as the amount of donations collected from area residents and businesses.
"The neatest that that I've seen over the years is how some may be shy or standoff at first with a uniformed officer. By the end of the shop after picking out clothes and school supplies, then they're their buddies," Baugh said.
"We always see them out in public and then it's easier for them to walk up and talk to an officer if they've already been through this program. I think it plants a seed of that positive interaction, and that's what we're looking for."