RITZVILLE — The children and their escorts fanned out around Ritzville on Saturday — checking their budgets, evaluating their options, carefully making their selections. Their escorts pushed the carts, helped the children make decisions and occasionally turned on the police car or fire truck lights. Shop with a Cop (and other first responders) provided local children with a shopping buddy, a sweet ride and a chance to pick out gifts for their families. 

Interim Ritzville Police Chief Bill Benner said it was a good morning. 

“They really did have fun,” Benner said. 

In Ritzville first responders go to businesses all over town, some of which opened early for the shoppers; some offered discounts on items and ensured merchandise was available, according to a RPD social media post.  

It was Benner’s first time shopping with the children and their shopping buddies, and it was pretty cool, he said. 

“I was very impressed. The community really stepped up,” he said. 

Some businesses that hadn’t been involved previously contacted the RPD and asked to be added to the shopping list, he said.  

Along with RPD officers, deputies from the Adams County Sheriff’s Office and personnel from the Ritzville Fire Department and Adams County Fire District 1 volunteered as shopping buddies and chauffeurs, taking children from business to business in style. The rode in emergency vehicles, sometimes with the lights activated. 

    A shopper and shopping buddies peruse the selections during Saturday’s Shop with a Cop event in Ritzville.
  

    Retailers, officers and young shoppers enjoyed having a chance to celebrate the holidays together in Ritzville.