Today, Crowley Police held their 12th annual Shop with a Cop event today.
During the year, Crowley officers put their own money aside, and get help from local sponsors to pay for shopping trip with local kids.
“We take young people from our local elementary schools, and bring them here to Wal-Mart for a few minutes,” Chief Jimmy Broussard says. “They’re assigned to an officer, and they get to shop with the officer.”
He said the program was the brainchild of Capt. Janet Neeland, who recently retired. It’s has a two-fold benefit, the chief said.
“It gives an opportunity to the students, who may not receive as many toys as others,” he said. Each child gets to pick out $50 to $60 worth of items, he said.
But it also helps the police department, the chief said.
“They get to see us, not as the enemy, but as friends. They see us in a different light,” Broussard said.
People often only see police officers when something bad is happening, he said.
“When they can come and see us like this, it makes a huge difference,” he said. “They get to see that we are people.”
