Photos courtesy of the Coronado Police Department
On Saturday morning, December 4, the Coronado Police Department had the great honor of co-hosting, along with Port of San Diego Harbor Police, the 28th annual Shop with a Cop event. 300 police officers from around the county teamed up with deserving third graders for a fun filled day beginning with breakfast and a private show at SeaWorld San Diego, and then on to holiday shopping at Target.
Shop with a Cop is an annual event hosted by local law enforcement agencies (led this year by the Coronado and Harbor Police Departments), STAR/PAL (Sports Training, Academics, Recreation/Police Athletic League), SeaWorld, and Target. Law enforcement officers from over 20 different local, state, and federal agencies participated in the event by partnering with a school on their beat and spending the day getting to better know the youth and families they serve in the neighborhoods they patrol. Youth participants were selected from local elementary schools by counselors and teachers as well as officer referrals.
The aim of the event was to not only provide children with a happier holiday season, but also build meaningful relationships between law enforcement and youth through non-enforcement interactions that can cultivate communal trust and lay the groundwork for an ethical community policing model.
All images courtesy Coronado Police Department
