Shop with a Cop teams 32 children with police

Organized chaos hit Walmart on Saturday as 32 children teamed with Maricopa police officers for breakfast and some Christmas shopping.

The annual Shop with a Cop brought Santa and Mrs. Claus back to see the kids. For extra holiday cheer this year, members of the Maricopa Chorus serenaded the group with carols.

Maricopa Police Department spokesman Ricky Alvarado said each had $125 to spend but there were gift cards set aside for extra expenses and Walmart discounts at the register. He said they often have had to tussle with the officers who want to pay any overage out of their own pockets.

The children picked out gifts for their family members. It was not only toys. Alvarado said one of the criteria was they had to buy clothes, too. That led to some children heading directly to the shoe aisles to try on pair after pair.

Besides being an opportunity to help a child, Officer Meredith McLean said it was a nice way “to have positive contact with the kids.”

Part of the requirements of the program is that the child purchase gifts for others. They relied on the officers escorting them through the store to keep it all within budget.

Alvarado said several children who applied to participate in Shop with a Cop did not qualify, but organizers saw a theme in the needs they expressed: Food.

“So this is just the first part,” he said. “Part two is when the officers deliver food to the families of the kids who didn’t qualify for this [Shop with a Cop].”