Children, law enforcement team up to buy holiday gifts at Shop with a Cop

With their lights flashing and sirens ringing, local law enforcement officers gave children a ride to Walmart in Hopkinsville for Shop with a Cop on Wednesday to purchase Christmas gifts for their families.

Shop with a Cop is an annual event hosted by the Hopkinsville Fraternal Order of Police where members of the Hopkinsville Police Department, Christian County Sheriff’s Office, Christian County Jail, Oak Grove Police Department and Fort Campbell Military Police take children Christmas shopping for their families.

Lisa Gould organizes Shop with a Cop each year and says the order has been hosting the event for over 30 years, and on Wednesday, they were able to take 32 kids shopping.

For each family, Gould says they have a budget of around $300. With that money, members of the order purchase gifts for each child, and then those children use the rest of that money to shop for their families.

Along with ensuring families have presents under the tree, Gould says the event also teaches children that the holidays are not just about receiving gifts, but also giving.

Gould calls Shop with a Cop a wonderful event and is happy that it continues to be a longstanding tradition. She says law enforcement also enjoys the event, and they probably have officers who have been shopping with kiddos since it started.

After they bought their presents, the kids and law enforcement went back to the Hopkinsville War Memorial Building to wrap the gifts so that they are ready for Christmas.