By Vernon Robison

Moapa Valley Progress

The toy aisles at Home True Value Hardware in Overton was crowded with kids and cops last week during a local ‘Shop With A Cop’ shopping spree.

Nine young students at Grant Bowler Elementary school were rounded up by local Metro officers and put into police cars on Wednesday, December 7. But it wasn’t because they had done anything wrong. Rather these lucky kids got to ride with the officers in the police vehicles down to Home True Value Hardware in Overton where they were each treated to a ‘Shop With A Cop’ shopping spree.

The ‘Shop With a Cop’ program, which has become a large community effort in many urban areas of southern Nevada, got a small start in Moapa Valley just last year with only two officers and three children.

“In the past we partnered with Mesquite Police Department in the Walmart ‘Shop With A Cop’ program,” said Officer Nate Bradford who, along with Officer Andy Caldwell, organized the local program. “But last year we decided that it was essential that we help with local kids and we support local businesses. So that is the reason this all came about.”

The wives of local Metro officers pitched in last week to help gift wrap all the presents selected by kids during a “Shop With A Cop” event held at Home True Value Hardware.

This year nine local officers participated in the program. In addition to Bradford and Caldwell the group included Officers Bret Empey, Allen Johnson, Troy Benson, Shannon Kelly, Mark Harding and Corey Estes. Each sponsored one child from Bowler Elementary.

Additional toys were also purchased and delivered to Perkins Elementary School in Moapa for distribution among needy children.

The nine children of varying ages were selected for the program by Bowler’s administration based, not only on need, but on good behavior and on diligent efforts in school work, Bradford said.

“It was a really good group of kids,” Bradford said. “They were just a blast to work with. I think that the school had a hard time selecting which kids to send. But these kids were great.”

The officers assisted the kids through the store to select presents for their family and themselves.

“We mostly leave it up to them what they want to get,” Bradford said. “This group was generally very thoughtful about getting things for their families. But they were also encouraged to get some things for themselves as well.”

After the items were selected, the kids assisted the officers through the store checkout. The store had provided a table at the back of the store for gift wrapping the presents. So the officers, assisted by their wives, helped wrap the presents and get them ready for delivery to the families.

Because the local program is not part of the larger ‘Shop With A Cop’ program, most of the expenses for the shopping spree came out of pocket for the local officers.

“We are not really in a position to solicit funds from the public on this,” Bradford said. “But a few citizens who were in the store and saw what we were doing, voluntarily gave donations to the effort as they were checking out at the store. We appreciated that.”