Cops swarm Tacoma Target to help 100 kids spend $20,000
Elyssium, 10, has spent the last year without a bike. Hers was broken beyond repair.
Some might say a kid without a bike is a crime.
Tacoma police detective Philip Hoschouer helped right that wrong Saturday when he helped Elyssium get a new mountain bike during the 29th annual Shop with a Cop event.
Every holiday season, the Tacoma Police Department partners with Tacoma Public Schools to identify more than 100 underprivileged children and pairs them with an officer for a morning of all expenses paid shopping.
On Saturday, the Target parking lot at 3320 S. 23rd St. was full of flashing lights and wailing sirens as children arrived in police vehicles.
“They get to shop for whoever they want, but we do have a rule: They have to buy something for themselves,” said officer Elizabeth Schieferdecker. “They usually want to buy just for their families.”
After selecting her bike, Elyssium spent the rest of her money on gifts for her mother. Hoschouer said that’s typical for kids chosen for the event.
“They think about everyone in the family,” Hoschouer said. “Oftentimes, the officers have to talk (the kids) into getting something for themselves.”
The public and Tacoma police officers provide the bulk of the money — usually about $20,000 — but most officers chip in extra money at the cash register, Schieferdecker said.
That was the case for officer Mohamud Ali who was shopping with Joshua, 9. Organizers asked that last names and faces of the children not be used in the reporting of this story.
Ali brought along his niece, Yasmin, 9, and nephew Imran, 8, to help Joshua pick out his gifts.
Officer Victor Batres was shopping with Yahir. The boy was shopping for his three younger siblings. So far, the only thing he had picked out for himself was a pair of socks.
“It’s better giving to my brothers and sister because it makes me happy when they get something,” Yahir explained.
It was Batres’s third Shop with a Cop.
“I just love giving back,” Batres said. “I get to meet with kids, bond with them, help them out.” He’s the father of two girls.
“I want them to experience this, so they can give back, also,” Batres said.
Officer Dustin Myhre brought his 15-year-old son, Nathaniel, to the event to help Noah, 10, shop. It was Nathaniel’s third time helping his dad.
“It’s nice to come out and help people,” Nathaniel said. He was holding a notebook. “I keep track of prices and the budget.”
Laurise, 10, had strict instructions from her mother: buy only presents for yourself. Laurise ended up with a skateboard, helmet, stuffed dog, doll, backpack, shoes and other items.
She was waiting in line to have her presents wrapped with shopping buddy officer Kate Madden. This was Madden’s first Shop with a Cop; she’s been a police officer for only four months. Previously, she had worked the event as a volunteer present wrapper.
“It’s a lot more one-on-one, getting to know the child,” Madden said of her new role.
This story was originally published December 7, 2019 at 1:16 PM.
