By Marcy Patterson
Photos by Heather Zulauf
When you think of law enforcement, the idea that often comes to mind is the law enforcement officers. That’s not surprising, since their role in the criminal justice system is to act as the face of the system and to investigate crimes.
Still, while law enforcement officers play a critical role in the criminal justice system, they often have another role in the community — they take part and volunteer their time to assist with community relations programs. One such is the Shop with a Cop Program.
This program is a nationwide initiative to help children and families spend time with local officers and purchase items on their holiday wish lists.
On the chosen day, the law enforcement officer accompanies a child as they shop for items from their list.
The annual event, hosted locally by the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, starts in early November when officers, while off duty, get together to send letters to businesses and community leaders asking for support.
This year’s organizer, Morgan County Detective Jamie Bettis says, “Our donations are higher than they have been for the last few years, and we are happy to be able to serve so many kids within the community.” This year the officers were able to serve 216 children in Morgan County. This is a 17% increase over previous years.
This year’s program volunteers include officers and retirees from the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, Illinois State Police, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.
Bettis concluded, “It was a great day for everyone involved and we continue to be thankful for the individuals and businesses in the community that allow this to happen every year.”
