Easton Shipman acted shy at first, like many children, hesitant to leave his parents' side and talk to the police officers. Soon, the officers transformed into fun tour guides of all the new clothes and cool toys to be had.
Lt. Austin Foster chatted with 5-year-old Easton about school and his favorite superhero as they walked through Wal-Mart on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Fayetteville. Easton picked out some Spider-Man pajamas and blue and orange tennis shoes. Then he got up the courage to ask for what he really wanted -- a drone. The boy's mouth slowly widened into a big smile as he held the Sky Rover.
Shop with a Cop
Law enforcement agencies across the country participate in the annual holiday event. Many Northwest Arkansas departments adopted the event from the mid-1990s to mid-2000s. Springdale first held its Shop with a Cop event in 1991, according to newspaper archives. Its event has grown from a couple of dozen children to shopping with more than 250 this year. Officers spent about $200 on each of those children Tuesday, thanks to the generous donations of many individuals and businesses in the area, spokesman Lt. Jeff Taylor said in a news release.
Source: Staff report
"I'm pretty sure that made his year," said Easton's mother, Jessica Shipman.
Easton was one of about 200 children from 90 families who shopped with Washington County Sheriff's Office deputies over four days from Nov. 29 to Dec. 2 as part of the office's annual Shop with a Cop event.
Detective William Mason said they shopped with about double the number of children they normally serve. Mason said the number of families who qualify to be part of the event has increased even as more police departments in the county participate.
Each child had $100 to spend, and their deputy buddy kept track of the money. That's about $20,000 the county's Fraternal Order of Police raised.
Shop with a Cop events are happening across Northwest Arkansas. Most departments have been participating for at least a decade.
The goal is to buy Christmas presents -- usually clothing necessities and a toy or two -- for children from families who may not be able to afford them. Fraternal Orders of Police raise money through annual golf tournaments and other community events.
Officers take time from their days off to participate in the shopping. The interactions at these events also are a way to change the intimidating or maybe negative impression some children have of police, Mason said.
"We really enjoy it," Foster said.
Bentonville hosted 35 children this year, which is about average, said Gene Page, Bentonville Police spokesman.
"There are children in our area who would not have a Christmas without this program," he said.
Other law enforcement officials agreed the need has grown in their communities.
"The population of Bella Vista has greatly increased the past few years, so we have definitely seen an increase in the number of families in need of assistance," said Sgt. Bryan Bunch of the Bella Vista Police Department.
Detective Phillip Lee, Fayetteville's Fraternal Order of Police president, said he has seen the need increase during his 17 years of service, and his group is helping more children and spending more on them. He said they raised about $25,000 this year to shop with 175 to 200 kids.
Benton County deputies are shopping with 60 children, 10 more than last year, spokeswoman Sgt. Shannon Jenkins said. The office started its Shop with a Cop event in 2009 with a dozen participants.
Each agency selects children a little differently, many relying on school counselor recommendations.
The Washington County Sheriff's Office switched from counselor recommendations to direct applications this year, said Mason, who is the county's Fraternal Order president. The office helps students from the West Fork, Greenland, Elkins and Lincoln school districts.
Deputies would get blindsided when they were told a family had a certain number of children but more would show up to the event because not all the kids were school-aged. The officers wanted to be sure they had enough money for all the kids.
This year, Mason and his team reviewed applications and made decisions based on the household's income, need and number of children. They also cross-checked the names with smaller departments.
"We help the ones that need it the most," Mason said. "We work hard to make sure people aren't taking advantage of it, but we legitimately were able to pull 200 kids that honestly needed it and weren't being helped."
Mason and other officers in Northwest Arkansas said these are usually hardworking families that just need a little help around the holidays.
Shipman has two other young children besides Easton who also were part of the shopping trip.
"Having three close together in age can be pretty hard sometimes to get both what they need and want," Shipman said. "This event is really helping us out a lot."
NW News on 12/11/2017