Santa's helpers: Law enforcement officers help fill holiday wishes

Dec. 16—VERNON TOWNSHIP — Six-year-old Elizabeth Torres had no issues with shyness or stage fright as she sat on Santa's lap Wednesday evening at Walmart.

Looking into the bearded man's jolly eyes through her own purple-framed glasses, she answered his question without hesitation.

"A real horse and a real cowboy hat!" she said. She was also hoping for "some stuff for the horse" and had already made plans to leave out cookies and milk for Santa's reindeer on Christmas Eve.

With a spirited "Thank you!" Elizabeth hopped down and made her way quickly to her mother, Rachel Torres, who was waiting nearby. Asked if she had somewhere to keep a horse, Elizabeth's response was again quick and thoughtful.

"Ummm, no," she said before turning to her mom and then looking to the ceiling and adding, to no one in particular, "I need a barn!"

The scene inside the supercenter was busy, as Santa's helpers made their way to the front of the store, each with a youngster. But while Santa typically teams with red-and-green clad elves armed with tiny wooden hammers, on this night his partners in gift-giving were uniformed mostly in black and they wore duty belts outfitted with different sorts of tools.

Elizabeth and her brothers, Arthur, 7, and Andrew, 4, were among 40 children who took part in the annual Shop with a Cop event Wednesday evening. More than 20 law enforcement officers from nine local agencies paired with kids and led them — or followed them — on a shopping spree to stock up on Christmas presents for themselves and their families. Once their shopping carts were full, the teams of kids and cops stopped for a sit-down with Santa, then Walmart provided a hot meal.

The event was made possible by donations from Kinetic by Windstream, Brothers of the Trowel and the family of Phil Baranyai, according to Sgt. Vince Trenga, the Meadville Police Department officer who coordinates the event with help from Chief Tad Acker of Cambridge Springs Police Department and Chief Robert Johnston of Linesville Police Department.

Children chosen for the event are recommended by counselors and principals in the area, Trenga said, and tend to come from families that have faced recent setbacks. The off-duty officers involved had all volunteered to participate and came from municipal departments in Meadville, West Mead, Conneaut Lake, and Linesville as well as the Crawford County Sheriff's Office. Several state agencies were represented as well: troopers from Pennsylvania State Police at Meadville, rangers from Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and officers from Pennsylvania State Constables and Pennsylvania Game Commission.

"It's a very special night not only for the children but the officers, the people that donated and everyone involved," Trenga said. "It's something I know these kids will probably remember for the rest of their lives."

Chief Michael Tautin of Meadville Police Department was paired with Elizabeth during the first round of shopping and said he has participated as often as he was able during the 15 years or so Shop with a Cop has been held in the Meadville area.

"I love it," he said of the event, before directing attention to his young partner. "The impressive thing about Elizabeth was that we had to start with a present for her mom because 'Mom is way more important than toys.'"

After picking out a pretty plate for her mother, Elizabeth loaded her shopping cart with a Deluxe Elsa Styling Head, based on the Disney character from "Frozen," a baby doll stroller set and other items. Fortunately for Tautin, who was pushing the cart, she did not find a real horse.

Arthur Torres, in the meantime, was making his rounds of the store with Cpl. Phillip Shaffer of the Pennsylvania State Police at Meadville. Arthur didn't find the grappling hook he had on his list but he had fun tracking down some Transformers and a Nerf gun. The cops participating in the event, he added, were "cool because they get to do adventures."

The kids may take away tangible items, but the officers involved take a great deal from the event as well, according to Shaffer.

"To see the smiles on their faces, to see them light up when they get some gifts for themselves and their families, it's just a wonderful thing and a good way we can give back to the community, give a little bit of our time to make a child smile," Shaffer said. "That's what it's all about."

As Santa wrapped up his tete-a-tetes with the first group of kids, law enforcement officers got behind the wheels of their shopping carts to head out into the Walmart lanes and aisles once more. This time, Tautin was paired with 8-year-old Arianna Richie of Cochranton. As the partners sped toward the distant rear of the store, Shanna Perry, Arianna's mom, tailed them from a respectable distance, neither too close nor too far.

Perry said some unexpected changes the family had been through made the timing of the shopping splurge particularly helpful. Arianna already had plans to locate Squishmallows and clothes for her doll, her mother said.

"And she picked out an outfit, of course," Perry added.

The gifts will make an impact in the near term but, like Trenga, Perry could see the experience leaving a more lasting impression as well.

"It's a wonderful opportunity for our kids to get to bond with cops — I think it's amazing," she said. "In the media and stuff, you see a lot of negative stuff about cops, and I feel like this is something very positive — something that is encouraging and can change your mindset for the young people."

Looking further up the aisle, Perry realized the cart she had been tailing had disappeared, having apparently swerved unexpectedly around a corner and down another aisle.

Eventually, Arianna and Tautin were located in front of shelf upon shelf of clothing and accessories for American Girl dolls. Soon, the evidence suggested that the kid might not be the only one to take away a memory to last a lifetime from the experience.

"Wish him luck," Arianna said of Tautin, "because we're going to be here for hours looking for these boots."

Mike Crowley can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at mcrowley@meadvilletribune.com.