'It's really great they did this': Bucks County cops give back this holiday season

The toy section at the Walmart in Hilltown last week was filled with children, walking with local officers, purchasing toys and other gifts for this holiday season.

Edwin Rosa, of Plumstead, was with his five children, roaming around the aisles with officers from the Central Bucks area and beyond.

"They had fun, they had a blast," Rosa said. "I know I did."

Keiri Fleming, of Doylestown, walked around with her children and a Doylestown Township officer as they made their way through the toy section of Walmart.

Her son, who is 6, picked out a variety of toys, including Lego sets and action figures.

"It's really great they did this," Fleming said.

These interactions were what dozens of police officers all over the county saw while they hosted their "Shop with a Cop," events, where they helped hundreds of local children in need pick out gifts for the holidays. The events are funded by donations.

"This is great because we get to interact with the kids and with their families," said Plumstead Chief David Mettin, whose department hosted their event at Walmart in Hilltown on Dec. 7.

Officers, many of whom wore Santa hats, and the children they partnered with, were all smiles as they made their way throughout the store. Kids led the local officers around the aisles, and threw items, such as Nerf guns, card games and clothing into their carts at the encouragement of their police partners.

The chief said Shop with a Cop was one of their biggest events they do with the community every year, and it lets officers interact and have fun with the local kids, something they don't always get a chance to do.

"This you can see what it does for the community," Mettin said.

Rosa, whose family was at the event when it was last held two years ago, said his son was looking forward to spending time with the officers again.

"He was anxious all week for this day," he said.

Rosa noted the officers were very patient, and were great dealing with the kids.

"(The kids) could pick what they wanted and they didn't have to ask," he said.

Many parents took pictures of their children with not just Santa, who was there as well, but also with the officers who took them shopping that night.

Mettin said he noticed a lot of kids were purchasing gifts, not just for themselves, but for their families.

"That's what this is all about," he said.

About 130 kids went shopping with roughly 30 officers from about 12 different departments at the Plumstead event. Officers from Buckingham, Doylestown Township, Dublin, Hatfield, New Britain Township, Solebury, Telford, Newtown Township, the county sheriff's department and state police were among those helping at Plumstead's event.

Across the county, other departments held their own events, helping a similar number of kids.

Newtown Township held its event at the Target in Middletown on Saturday. Cpl. Paul Deppi, who oversees Newtown Township's efforts, said 46 officers from about seven different departments went shopping with 146 kids this year.

“We could see the smiles this year. We didn’t get a chance to last year," Deppi said, noting that their smiles were hidden behind masks.

The corporal said, like in Plumstead, he saw the kids purchasing gifts for their friends and families, even though they were encouraged to get things for themselves.

“We don’t know who had the bigger smiles, the kids or the officers," he said.

Deppi said some the kids and the officers had stories to share about their time there. Additionally, officers brought members of their family to help out.

“It kind of becomes a family event for the officers,” he said.

Officers from Bristol Township, Buckingham, Newtown Borough, Upper Makefield, Northampton and the county sheriff's office attended Newtown Township's event.

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Middletown police held its event at the same target the week before Newtown Township. Officer Melissa Robison, who oversees Middletown's efforts, said there were 254 kids at the event this year. About 40 officers participated.

She said the event received a lot of donations from churches and businesses, which allowed them to give the kids more than they usually do.

Robison said the department's event is something that officers look forward to doing all year.

“It’s really nice to see so many of us come together and just really embrace this whole thing," she said.

Lower Southampton police joined Middletown for their event this year.

In Quakertown, the police department's event had 240 kids, an increase from 174 the previous year, according to Ashton Miller, the recreation coordinator for the borough.

The event, held at the Walmart in Richland on Thursday, had record donations this year, she said.

Miller said the best part was seeing how timid the kids were at the start, and how they changed their tune by the end of the night.

“By the end of the night they don’t want to separate from each other," she said.

Officers from Bedminster, Dublin, Hilltown, Newtown Township, Pennridge Regional, Perkasie, Richland, Springfield and Warwick attended Quakertown's event.

Deppi said even though the departments host their own events, all the officers coordinate between them. If an officer is unable to make their department's event, they can attend another department's if they want to.

In addition to the Newtown Township event, Deppi also helped kids shop at the Plumstead event.

“It's fantastic that we all have that relationship," he said.

The Newtown Township corporal said they all share information and ideas with one another.

“Next year we want to make it better," he said.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Bucks County police give back with 'Shop with a Cop' events this season