HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – 28 law enforcement officers were paired up with kids in Christian County for a major holiday shopping spree. Dozens of patrol cars lit up down Fort Campbell Boulevard on Dec. 18, each escorting a child for Shop with a Cop.
Children from lower income or single guardian households were selected or nominated to participate, and the Fraternal Order of Police in Hopkinsville coordinated the event. Hopkinsville Police Department, Christian County Sheriff’s Office, Christian County Jail, Oak Grove Police Department, and the 716th MP Battalion out of Ft. Campbell all joined forces to spread some Christmas cheer.
Officer Royale Marfil with HPD told Christian County Now that the event allows kids who might not otherwise receive gifts to experience the joy of shopping for presents for their families. Each child was provided around $200 to shop alongside cops and find the perfect gift.
“It also allows officers to build that connection with the community’s youth in a positive and really fun way,” said Marfil, who also accompanied a child shopping. “It’s even more important for our officers to show the kids that we’re not just police officers; we are also wives, husbands, fathers, mothers, sons and daughters. We’re people just like they are. And that connection that we make during Shop with a Cop lasts within that child.”
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