Shop With A Cop returns, now at Target

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Margaret Smith of the Friends of the Children’s Justice Center, left, gives the thumbs up on the full cart checked out by Kaua‘i Police Department Assistant Chief Bryson Ponce and his shopper on Tuesday during Shop With A Cop at the Target store in Li0hu‘e.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Kaua‘i Police Department Lt. Darren Rose helps his shoppers on Tuesday while Santa peeps into the busy aisle to check on shoppers with their police escorts at the Shop With A Cop event at the Target store in Lihu‘e.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Kaua‘i Police Department Lt. Jason Overmyer watches as his shopper family gets excited over a toy on Tuesday during the Shop With A Cop event at the Target store in Lihu‘e.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Kaua‘i Police Department officer Lance Okasaki helps his shopper Dream check the price of a doll on Tuesday during Shop With A Cop at the Target store in Lihu‘e.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Excited shoppers, each group accompanied by a Kaua‘i police officer, take off into the aisles of Target in Lihu‘e on Tuesday for the Shop With A Cop event.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Target store Manager Dee, left, Kaua‘i Police Department Assistant Chief Bryson Ponce, second from left, and KPD Chief Todd Raybuck, third from left, welcome shoppers to the Shop With A Cop event on Tuesday at the Target store in Lihu‘e.

Dennis Fujimoto / The Garden Island

Kaua‘i Police Department officers, shoppers, representatives of the Target leadership team, the Children’s Justice Center, and Friends of the CJC are ready to hit the aisles in the Target store in Lihu‘e on Tuesday during the return of Shop With A Cop.

Tuesday was an exciting day for the Kaua‘i Police Department, the Children’s Justice Center, Friends of the Children’s Justice Center, the Target store management team, and nearly 50 young shoppers and their parents.

Spearheaded by KPD Assistant Chief Bryson Ponce, the young people, each accompanied by a police escort, got to shop the aisles of the store that opened a year ago for presents, with each youngster armed with a $100 gift card sponsored by the Friends of the Children’s Justice Center.

Additionally, shoppers were treated to pizza and a Slushie following their tour of the Target store.

“It’s amazing what can happen in about two weeks,” said KPD Chief Todd Raybuck. “This is all possible because AC Ponce made some phone calls and got some help from the community. Are you ready?”

Ponce said Shop With A Cop is designed to bring the police department closer to children and their families in the community.

“She’s a smart shopper,” said KPD officer Lance Okasaki of a young shopper he escorted. “She started out with the wrapping paper for her gifts. She had to get a pen to write out the tag, and now, she’s looking for something for her brother. She hasn’t even gotten anything for herself.”

Shop With A Cop started 30 years ago when a police officer started a collection from fellow officers and the police department so he could get some things for the less fortunate children in the community.

The Tuesday event at Target marks the return of Shop With A Cop on Kaua‘i following the program’s absence with the closing of the Kmart store in 2018.

“I’ve always wanted to do this,” Ponce said. “But there wasn’t anyone that would take the place of Kmart. With the blessings of Chief Raybuck, mahalo to all the Shop With A Cop partners, we can make Christmas a little brighter for everyone.”

Margaret Smith of the Friends of the Children’s Justice Center said the group is grateful for all the donors, corporate and individual, that allowed them to be able to host the young people.

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