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On Saturday, December 21st dozens of local law enforcement officers shopped at Tillamook’s Fred Meyer Store. The purpose of the Shop with a Cop program is to build an everlasting trust and rapport between the children of the Tillamook County area and Law Enforcement Officers.
“We are so excited to be able to celebrate this as our 15th year,” said Tillamook Police Officer Nick Troxel. “Over the years we have served so many children in need. We are now serving children whom their parents are past participants.”
This program was originally started in 1978 by Georgia Schreiner and a police officer in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was designed to give children who have experienced a negative contact with Law Enforcement an opportunity to purchase Christmas gifts for themselves and or their family members. This can include being removed from their home, a death investigation and or other unpleasant contacts. It also served to enhance the image of the police in the eyes of these children. The program has been met with great success in Tillamook County and has since become an annual event with Tillamook Law Enforcement and Fred Meyers.
The event hosted about 60 children ages 4-10 in Tillamook County shopped on Saturday December 21st at Fred Meyers. Each child received approximately $100 to shop with; to date, we have served over 810 children. You are welcome to make a donation to the program anytime of the year. Contact Nick Troxel at Tillamook Police Department for more information about donating to the program at (503) 842-2522 or ntroxel@tillamookor.gov.
Saturday started off with a breakfast provided by Fred Meyer’s Deli. The breakfast is a great “ice breaker” for the officer and the child. After breakfast, the officers and children started shopping. Children shop for themselves, their brothers, sisters and parents. There are a couple rules and the officers all know what the number one rule is, Have Fun! The Fred Meyer staff as always was fantastic and so accommodating during this time.
Law Enforcement Officers from Tillamook Police, Rockaway Beach Police, Manzanita Police, Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office, Oregon State Police and the US Coast Guard Station Tillamook Bay were all on hand to take children shopping.
This program is strictly funded by donations. We thank the Tillamook County Community for continuing to support the Shop with a Cop Program.
From Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office: “Today the Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office participated with the Tillamook Police Department, Manzanita Police Department, Rockaway Beach Police Department, The US Coast Guard, Tillamook 911, and DHS to put on the annual Shop With A Cop hosted graciously by Tillamook Fred Meyer. We had a great turn out! This is an event we love to participate in as we get to have positive interaction with a bunch of adorable kiddos and we love seeing the kids faces light up! Thank you to all of the sponsors and donors who make this happen.”
