Sentinel staff report–
In what police say was the biggest “Shop with a Cop” event in the department’s history, officers and police staff packed into the Citrus Heights Walmart store on Wednesday to take 49 kids on a shopping spree through the store.
Each child was given $125 to shop, while accompanied by a police officer through the store. Police Lt. Michael Wells said several children exceeded the dollar amount, but officers “reached into their own wallets to cover the difference.”
The children who participate are selected by the San Juan Unified School District each year, with typically about 25 children participating. This year’s event had nearly double the number of children, along with a total of about 80 police officers, city staff and Rotary Club members.
A five-minute video posted online by the police department shows highlights from the event, including the arrival of participants in police vehicles.
One girl interviewed in the video said the first gift she was buying was for her dad, telling the interviewer it was “because he’s the (most) special dad I ever saw in my life.”
The event kicked off with a pancake breakfast at the Citrus Heights Community Center provided by Assemblyman Ken Cooley’s Office and concluded with a box lunch provided by the Subway store inside Walmart.
The department also thanked Pepsi, the Citrus Heights Rotary Club, Police Activities League, and Walmart for their contributions.
