Quincy Shop with a Cop pairs families with officers
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 8 months, 2 weeks AGO
Ten Quincy families took a shopping trip to Target in Wenatchee as part of Quincy Police Department’s Shop with a Cop event Dec. 6.
COURTESY PHOTO/QUINCY POLICE DEPARTMENT
QPD officer Mark Gomez and his shopping partner prepares to set out on a quest for toys.
The families who went on Quincy PD’s Shop with a Cop were nominated by local school counselors, according to organizer Ofc. Danya Mercado.
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | December 21, 2025 7:45 AM
QUINCY — Ten Quincy families will have a brighter Christmas through the Quincy Police Department’s Shop with a Cop event Dec. 6.
“Seeing how excited the kids get and how thankful the families are, it’s awesome,” said QPD Ofc. Danya Mercado, who organized the event with Ofc. Jessica Diaz.
Mercado wasn’t sure how many officers had taken part, but she said the department usually pairs up one officer per family. She was one of the officers who went, she said.
“We also had our clerks who helped,” she said. “And the animal shelter staff also came out and helped us.”
This is the first year that Mercado and Diaz have coordinated Shop with a Cop, she said. The two of them reached out to school counselors to identify families who could benefit.
“Then once we have a list, we have a little meeting between us and see like which families we're able to help,” she said. Those families who weren’t selected were referred to another agency that helps families at Christmas time, she added.
The shopping was done at Target in Wenatchee, Mercado said. It’s common for children to want everything they see in the toy aisle, but Mercado said her shopping partners were a little less self-focused.
“A lot of kids, they like to get stuff that they need for the family,” she said. “Part of what we provide them is an essential basket where we get theme household items. The kiddos, though, they usually like to go and find stuff for Mom and Dad, or they'll try to focus more on like what their siblings want, and then they'll just pick a couple items for themselves.”
Events like Shop with a Cop help soften the image of police for the children and their parents, Mercado said.
“I know (for) myself growing up, law enforcement isn't always something you see in a positive way,” she said. “So being able to help families, it helps build the trust with law enforcement, showing that we actually care. We want to help them in any way we can.”
QPD officer Mark Gomez and his shopping partner prepares to set out on a quest for toys.
The families who went on Quincy PD’s Shop with a Cop were nominated by local school counselors, according to organizer Ofc. Danya Mercado.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Quincy National Night Out scales down
QUINCY — Quincy’s National Night Out was more compact this year, which worked out well, said QPD Sgt. Joe Westby, who’s in charge of event planning for the Quincy Police Department. “National Night Out is a big event, and the fact that we’re able to shrink it up is like a breath of fresh air,” Westby said. “If you're always doing the same thing, it's kind of nice to switch things up and see how it works.” National Night Out took place Thursday on the block of C Street next to the police station, a shift from previous years when it was held at Lauzier Park. The smaller space meant fewer emergency vehicles for children to explore, but it also meant less walking for attendees. Grant County Fire District 5 brought a fire truck, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office had a patrol boat. Renew, the Grant County behavioral health agency, had a booth and so did Quincy Partnership for Youth. Veterans Operation Creation sang the national anthem, and the Quincy Animal Shelter brought kittens that piled over each other making friends with passersby. As before, the QPD served grilled hot dogs.
Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
QUINCY — There are some big shoes to fill at the Quincy Police Department. “We’re losing 48 years of experience between them,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said at the retirement party for Capt. Jorge Trujillo and Det. Damon Powell Thursday. Trujillo, who grew up in Sunnyside, has been with QPD for 19 years, he said, coming on as a patrol officer fresh out of the military. From there he served as a field training officer, a detective and finally captain. “I consider him my left-hand man,” Green said. “He runs the operations side of the house … He knows the agency very well, and he knows the community.” Trujillo has some projects around the house to tackle now that he’s retired, he said.
Big fun on a small scale
Wheat Land Communities’ Fair opens Thursday
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is. “It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,” The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds. This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.