(PHOTOS) Area police spread holiday cheer at annual ‘Shop with a Cop’

CASPER, Wyo. — On Saturday morning, dozens of area law enforcement personnel filled the aisles of Walmart, helping bring the Christmas spirit to local families at the annual Shop with a Cop event.

Officers with the Casper, Evansville and Mills police departments, Natrona County Sheriff’s Office, Wyoming Highway Patrol, Wyoming Game and Fish Department and more took part.

Participating children were given $60 gift cards before roaming the store with an accompanying responder looking for items to buy.

“The one rule is that the items have to be for themselves; we want the day to be about the kids,” NCSO Corporal Richard Reeves said. “The kids are underprivileged, or in some cases from families that were recently the victims of crime.”

The day is a memorable one for the area youth, who get to spend the morning with those who protect and serve, but it’s also a heartwarming experience for the law enforcement personnel who take part.

“In our job, we’re seeing the negative sides of the community a lot of the time,” Casper Police Officer Tyler Houser said. “Here, it’s fun to get out with the youth, be humans with them and show that we’re not scary.”

Houser recalled a precocious youngster who had a clear idea of what she wanted right away.

“I thought she might wander around the store a bit, but she pointed to exactly where we were going and made a beeline for it,” he said with a laugh.

Officer Trevor Neal said he enjoys kids who are interested in things other than toys.

“You think every kid will just want to see what’s in the toy aisle, but I just had a girl earlier today who wanted to look at books, and another interested in art supplies,” he said.

Neal added that Shop with a Cop events still often manage to tug at one’s heartstrings. It’s always a bit sad, he said, when a young child’s first thought is to use the $60 to buy food.

While many officers have taken part in the holiday event for years, others were new to it. That was the case for Officer Arianah Plorin, who was taking part in Shop with a Cop for the first time.

“I’m having a blast,” she said with a smile. “I’m definitely looking forward to getting to do this again next year.”

NCSO public information officer Kiera Hett added that the Wyoming Hunger Initiative and First Lady Jennie Gordon also played a hand in making the event special, donating money used to create food baskets for all participating families.