2008 Shop with a Cop

Area’s youth, police team up

James Byard | The Sun

Jonesboro Police Department Officer Jo Carol Carter (from left) shops with Tra’voy Neal and DeKendrick Davis on Saturday afternoon during the second annual Shop with a Cop program.

JONESBORO — Most adolescents avoid riding in police cars, but there were 102 children who relished their ride with officers this weekend in Jonesboro.

The Rotary Club of Jonesboro held their second annual Shop with a Cop program on Saturday. Students were given $100 gift cards, and police officers escorted them to different stores around the city.

“A lot of kids see us out working, but they never get to see us any other way,” said Jonesboro Police Department Sgt. George Martin.

The Department of Human Services and CityYouth Teen Ministries chose children for the giveaway, Martin said. Most of the participants ranged from ages 8 to 17.

Wal-Mart, The Mall at Turtle Creek and Target were popular stops for many of the kids, Martin said. Participants included 40 volunteer officers from the Jonesboro Police Department and four officers from the Paragould Police Department.

The Rotary Club donated $9,200 and the Jonesboro Fraternal Order of Police gave $1,000, Martin said. Chick-fil-A also donated meals for the children and officers, providing them with additional time to bond.

Last year 70 students participated in the project. One officer is usually assigned to one child, but siblings or friends sometimes ride along with the same cop, Martin said.

Officers picked up 52 participants from the DHS office, then an equal number from the CityYouth Teen Ministries building Saturday morning. The event was slated to end around noon, but as of 3 p.m., many of the officers were still spending time with the youngsters, Martin said.

“This is a great way for them to be with an officer in a positive way,” Martin said.

—George Jared

2008 Shop with a Cop - KAIT8 Story

KAIT 8 covered the 2008 Shop with a Cop project - view the video here.