With Christmas Eve a week away, a typical elementary school student dreams of countless possibilities in anticipation of the upcoming holiday. Luckily for thirteen third grade students from the Camden Central School District, members of the local law enforcement community were on the case of making some of those dreams a reality on Tuesday, December 17th.
That was the scene as the District teamed up with the Camden Police Benevolent Association, Camden Police Department, and International Wire to present its “Shop With A Cop” initiative.
The initiative returned for 2024 after a brief absence. Prior to that, the event ran for many years and was one of the most highly anticipated events on the District’s calendar. It is similar in scope to events held across the country. Students were selected based on an understanding of need, and paired with one of thirteen area law enforcement officers for a daytime shopping excursion at the Rome, NY Walmart location.
Three agencies serving the Camden, NY area were represented. Three officers were on hand from the Camden Police Department, eight officers attended from the Oneida County Sheriff's Office, and two troopers from the New York State Police were able to take part. Some of the participating officers volunteered their time off-duty to participate.
With a $125.00 budget in hand, and an officer by their side, the third graders took to the aisles looking for the perfect gift for themselves, and for those closest to them. From toys, to sporting goods, to clothing, their shopping carts reflected a wide variety of personalities and wishes unique to each student.
Following the excursion, the students and their law enforcement partners travelled to International Wire headquarters in Camden, where they were treated to lunch from Avicolli’s in the company’s dining area. They received a small gift and a visit from Santa himself, before heading back to school to finish their day. International Wire’s participation was coordinated by Kerri Grant and Heather Van Winkle.
This year’s version of “Shop With A Cop” was led by Village of Camden Police Chief Sean Redden, and the shopping budget was funded by the Camden Police Benevolent Association.
Redden has been working carefully to enhance his Department’s community presence in a positive way, and events go a long way toward achieving his vision for the future. After a highly successful PBA Spooktacular this fall, bringing back Shop with a Cop was top of mind for the Department and the PBA. With a carefully coordinated effort, it was done in a matter of weeks.
“For me, any time I can get us engaged with the community, I want to do that,” Redden said. “For a little while, we kind of got a bit disengaged from the community and its events. And the PBA is there to serve the officers and the community. Those really go hand-in-hand. We did so well at the Spooktacular that I knew we were locked in enough to get this back off the ground, and we had the funding too. It’s all about getting the Camden PD and law enforcement back engaging with the community, and having an opportunity for children to spend time with the officers at a different time other than when they’re on a call, so they can see them in a positive light.”
The opportunity to bring joy during this special time of year made the effort worthwhile for Redden and the participating officers.
“Just seeing the smile on the kids’ faces and knowing that we’re bringing a happier holiday to them, that’s really what drives all of us on this team,” he said.
Fourth grade teacher Amy Paul and school counselor Kelly Mirabelli represented the District throughout the process of organizing this event for 2024, and echoed the importance of giving back and growing a better police/community presence. Paul’s husband, Rich, was one of the participating officers from the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office.
“We feel the Shop With A Cop program is important because it fosters a positive relationship between our students and the awesome police officers in our community,” The pair said. “This is also a chance to bring some holiday joy to our elementary students as well.“
With 2024’s event in the books, plans are even more ambitious for 2025. The hope is that approximately 20 student/officer pairings will be able to take part.
A very special thank you goes out to all of our participating agencies, along with International Wire and Walmart for hosting our students for this special opportunity.
