Evanston officers brighten kids' day with shopping sprees
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EVANSTON — The power was out all over town last Saturday, but that didn’t stop members of local law enforcement from taking some special kids on a shopping spree. The annual Shop with a Cop event is always a memorable experience — this year especially so.
Kids and cops gathered at the Hampton Inn for breakfast at about 7:30, right around the time the power went out and stayed out for several hours. Evanston Police Department Administrative Assistant Linda Liechty said the kids were checked in and served breakfast, in the dark, at the Hampton Inn.
Kids then rode in a parade of squad cars, with lights flashing and sirens blaring, to Walmart for shopping. Participants, both young and old, may have hoped power would be restored in time for shopping, and an attempt was made to stall for time by having the kids head to the Walmart Subway for cookies and milk.
After it became clear the power was not going to be back on for quite some time, the decision was made to grab lights and take the kids shopping anyway. Officers with flashlights perused the toy aisles, helping kids choose items in the darkened store.
As if the event needed yet another challenge, the three registers that were working initially stopped functioning after checking out just a few kids. All the Walmart staff then stepped up to make sure the kids were still able to leave with their toys, and UPC codes off every individual item were manually written down in notebooks to be entered in later when the power returned.
Liechty said the staff at Walmart went above and beyond to make sure the kids were still able to go shopping when nothing in the store had power.
The kids participating are recommended by staff at Evanston schools, and are those who have experienced hardship in recent months, financial or otherwise. Liechty said next year they are considering including kids who have shown improvement at school or excelled in some way.
Funding for the event comes through the Evanston Police Officers Association from payroll contributions from participating officers and law enforcement staff, as well as from donations from local businesses.
This year law enforcement and their family members and staff at both the Hampton Inn and Walmart rose to the occasion and provided 41 kids with an experience they’re not likely to forget.
