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It was quite a scene at the local Walmart Tuesday evening (Dec. 22).
On an unusually busy day—as shoppers searched for last-minute gift ideas—dozens of local law enforcement officers and children poured through the store’s Tire & Lube Express entrance for a little Christmas shopping of their own.
For the next hour, Walmart’s toy department was a scene of happy bedlam, as approximately 70 kids made their selections with the assistance of the law enforcement officers and Walmart personnel.
It was part of “Shop With A Cop,” a six-year-old program of the Big South Fork lodge of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), and organizers said this year’s event was the biggest yet.
“It was a big success,” FOP President Creston Burton, an Oneida Police Department officer, said. “It’s a great way to give back to the community.”
Current and former law enforcement officers from every local jurisdiction, as well as the Tennessee Highway Patrol, took part in the event. Scott County Sheriff Anthony Lay, Oneida Chief of Police Mike Cross and Winfield Chief of Police Steve Trammell were all on hand, as was THP Trooper Mark Chitwood. Dozens of officers from the three local law enforcement agencies were present as well to assist with the event.
Shop With A Cop selects local kids to go on a shopping spree with law enforcement officers and is perhaps the premier event of the local FOP, which also gives scholarships each year to students at Oneida and Scott high schools. Officers work throughout the year to raise enough funding—several thousand dollars—to pull off the annual Christmas event.
“This is a great thing that the Scott County police departments do and we’re glad to be a part of it,” Walmart Manager Charlie Richards said. “It’s a great community event.”
Even former law enforcement officers participated in the event. Scott County Circuit Court Clerk Donnie Phillips was a sergeant with the Scott County Sheriff’s Department when Shop With A Cop began, and continues to assist with the annual event.
“It’s very rewarding,” Phillips said. “Just to see the looks on the faces of these kids makes it a worthwhile effort.”
