Kids Shop with a Cop in the Silver Valley
CAROLYN BOSTICK | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 6 months AGO
The 2022 Shop with a Cop event treated more than 90 local children to a Walmart shopping spree to buy gifts for themselves and for family members.
File photo courtesy of Osburn Police Department
A photo from the 2022 Shop with a Cop event shows Undersheriff Lance Stutzke and Deputy Jake End with their shopping partners.
Jason Woody of Osburn Police smiles for the camera with his shoppers during the 2022 Shop with a Cop event.
Carolyn Bostick has worked for the Coeur d’Alene Press since June 2023. She covers Shoshone County and Coeur d'Alene. Carolyn previously worked in Utica, New York at the Observer-Dispatch for almost seven years before briefly working at The Inquirer and Mirror in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Since she moved to the Pacific Northwest from upstate New York in 2021, she's performed with the Spokane Shakespeare Society for three summers. | November 24, 2023 1:00 AM
OSBURN — First responders in the Silver Valley are spreading some festive cheer with the Shop With a Cop program. The annual event started as a way to build up a bond between kids and law enforcement and give kids a way to fund presents for their families as well as themselves.
Jason Woody of the Osburn Police Department said that this year, they are expecting about 100 kids to participate in the shopping spree in groups on Dec. 16 and 17.
The program for children in Shoshone County is organized by Osburn Police, and participating agencies include Shoshone County Sheriff’s Office, Kellogg Police, Pinehurst Police, Idaho State Police, the Forest Service, Shoshone County Fire District No. 1, and Shoshone County Fire District No. 2.
Woody said there may even be a U.S. marshal participating in this year’s event.
“The kids shopping get to decide what they’re going to purchase. We don’t try talking them out of anything. It’s to build trust with them so that they know they can come talk to us and that we’re not as mean as everybody thinks we are. I’ve gone into a store and they’ll come up, ‘Hey, remember me, I was with you last year?’” Woody said.
Woody said the gift giving process for the kids is always streaked with a little creative chaos.
“One year I had a kid who bought his dad purple hair dye. It’s just neat seeing what their little minds think of and the excitement on their faces to be able to purchase stuff for their family,” Woody said.
Shoshone County Sheriff Holly Lindsey said there’s a transformation as the kids get comfortable talking to them that makes the event unforgettable for her.
“The kids are so shy and quiet for the first little bit, and then all of a sudden, you can't get a word in edgewise. It's awesome seeing them light up,” Lindsey said.
Applications can be completed through any of the local participating police agencies and the deadline to apply is Monday, Dec. 4.
To donate to fund Shop with a Cop, stop by the Osburn Police Department at 921 E. Mullan Ave., Osburn or email d.braaten@cityofosburn.org.
A photo from the 2022 Shop with a Cop event shows Undersheriff Lance Stutzke and Deputy Jake End with their shopping partners.
Jason Woody of Osburn Police smiles for the camera with his shoppers during the 2022 Shop with a Cop event.MORE LOCAL-NEWS STORIES
Christmas spirit soars in Silver Valley during children's shopping spree
Coeur d'Alene Press | Updated 1 year, 5 months ago
ARTICLES BY CAROLYN BOSTICK
Museum at the Brig set to reopen at Farragut State Park
Jim Stephens first came to Farragut Naval Training Base as a young man, ready to serve his part in WWII. He became a swim instructor for new recruits and learned skills and duties he would go on to perform in the military hospital for American soldiers fighting in the Pacific theater.
Railroad quiet zones nixed by Post Falls council
After looking into the creation of railroad quiet zones, City Council decided Tuesday to not pursue zones in Post Falls. Although several members of the council expressed interest, the money and effort that would be required by the city to enact the zones were deemed too costly at this time.
Post Falls council approves Prairie Trail extension
City Council unanimously approved an extension to Prairie Trail Tuesday. City engineer Rob Palus explained that there are two missing gaps in Prairie Trail from Zorros to State Highway 41.