The lively chatter of students of various ages could be heard throughout Walmart on Saturday morning during the annual Shop With a Cop event.
Volunteers from the Cortez Police Department, Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office, Classic Air Medical, Colorado Bureau of Investigation and Bureau of Land Management helped students shop.
Before arriving at Walmart, however, students first met at Montezuma-Cortez High School, where they were treated to breakfast before being paired with an officer.
Santa (officer Kadan Sharp) also arrived at the school via a Classic Air Medical helicopter to surprise students.
The event, which takes place each year and is organized by school resource officer Karla Ross, allows students to buy themselves and their families gifts for Christmas while spending time with local law enforcement. By shopping with a cop, students can build trust with those who help keep the community and the schools safe.
A different group of students are chosen each year, and students are recommended to the program by school counselors, student body government and other school leaders. This year, around 17 or 18 students took part, though they were originally planning for 22 students to participate.
The participating students were various ages, and attend Kemper Elementary, Mesa Elementary, Cortez Middle School and MCHS. Some of the students were siblings, and some are part of the district’s ESL program.
Officers are given $100 of Cortez Retail Enhancement Association gift cards per child, and Walmart gives the students 20% off. The city also allows purchases to be tax exempt, allowing their money to stretch further.
An anonymous donor also donated $500, giving each child an additional $20. Classic Air Medical gave $25 to each student so they could buy themselves a gift, as many of the students were prioritizing gifts for their families.
Classic Air Medical’s Cortez base manager, Jacklynn Romine, told The Journal that one of her favorite parts of the event is seeing students get excited while buying gifts for their families.
One student primarily bought groceries for his family, with his shopping cart filled with meat, bananas, lemons, chips and more. A middle school student showed the earbuds she picked for her sister’s Christmas gift, and another child picked a box of pots and pans for a gift. Along with presents for their families, students also picked toys for their dogs, and one child purchased a memorial gift for her uncle’s grave site.
“Seeing kids get what they want,” Cortez officer Joseph Yen said in response to his favorite part of the event. He added that it’s fun to hang out with the kids and help them with shopping.
Following their time of shopping, the children went back to MCHS with their purchases, where officers helped them wrap gifts for their families.
