KCSO collects toys for local tots

Nov. 24—With the holiday season fully in swing, deputies with the Kern County Sheriff's Office posted up outside two malls in Bakersfield, collecting presents for impoverished children.

Members of the KCSO SWAT team parked their Bearcats beside the entrances for local citizens, young and old, to come and drop off toys in the Mercado Latino and Sam's Club parking lots on Friday.

KCSO Crime Prevention Coordinator Elvie Martinez said the day was a "wonderful" way to mend bonds with the community and further improve the department's image.

"And that's what crime prevention is," Martinez said. "It's community relations."

Toys donated will be paired with family Christmas baskets that KCSO each year serves to 400 families handpicked by the department who have had an especially difficult year, as a gesture of good faith.

"It's families they've encountered throughout the year and they want to give back to them on a good note," Martinez said.

Whereas the holiday baskets, which include a turkey dinner, are a tradition for the Sheriff's Office, the toy drive is new.

By noon, about 10 families had dropped off toys at the Mercado Latino location, while KCSO deputies managed to fill a good chunk of floor space in their transportation bus outside the Sam's Club. Despite being Black Friday, the outdoor market was sparse in attendance; less than a dozen people, mostly older women, could be seen perusing the aisles. Restaurants were all but without patrons.

But with no goals set, Sheriff's Office representatives said they're just happy to be out and accepting what they can, from baby toys and barbies to robot dinosaurs. Plus, Martinez added, it's still early.

"This is our first time doing it, so we're just starting it out," she said. "It's Black Friday, so we figured a lot of people would be out shopping today. It's our first time, so ... and we always live and learn."