LEWISTOWN — When you think of law enforcement, police officers often come to mind. That’s not surprising, considering their role in the criminal justice system is to act as the face of the system and to investigate crimes.

While police officers play a critical role in the criminal justice system for this role in law enforcement, it’s not the only role they play in the community. They also take part in community events and volunteer time to help families in need.

Shop with a Cop is one of the programs used by police to assist with community relations and help out in the community. This year’s event — the Fourth Annual Mifflin-Juniata County Shop with a Cop — is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, Dec. 18

at the Walmart in Lewistown.

The Pennsylvania State Police at Lewistown are teaming up with the United Way of Mifflin-Juniata for this event, which pairs children with local law enforcement to shop for themselves and their families during the holiday season.

“Shop with a Cop is a memorable relationship building experience between local law enforcement and the children of Juniata and Mifflin county,” said Colette Hartzler, executive director for the United Way of Mifflin-Juniata.

Other participating agencies include the Mifflin County Regional Police Department, Borough of Lewistown Police Department, Granville Township Police Department, Mifflin County Sheriff’s Department, Juniata County Sheriff’s Department, Mifflin County Probation Office and Juniata County Probation Office.

“Shop with a Cop takes children who were victims of crime, financial hardship or other unfortunate circumstances shopping for Christmas,” Hartzler added. “Each child will get paired with a police officer from their area and receive $100 to shop.”

Law enforcement spends time with the children, acting as their chaperone and companion as they shop for items.

Following the shopping trip, the United Way will host a pizza party at the Fame EMS Ambulance building, 16 Industrial Park Road, Lewistown, with pizza, drinks and snacks.

“The first time we ran the program here Oksana DeArment was the Executive Director here at the United Way; this was in 2021,” Hartzler recalled. “She received a call from Pennsylvania State Trooper Julio Trejo to see if they could work together on this event. He had been involved with Shop With a Cop in another county and thought it was a rewarding worthwhile venture so when he came here he contacted Oksana to see if it was an option.”

That first year, a total of 25 children participated in the program. Those involved considered that to be a great turnout, considering planning didn’t start until late in the year.

The children who participate in the program are referred by agencies, programs of which they are involved and schools; a few come from self-referrals. Ultimately the officers make the final decisions.

“Since the first year, the number of children has varied anywhere from 15 kids to nearly 30 kids,” Hartzler said. “As the program grows in terms of community awareness we hope the support for this program will grow financially to be able to continue to bridge the relationship between law enforcement and young children.”

Hartzler has worked with Pennsylvania State Trooper Andrew Bishop, starting with the second year, and both have worked tirelessly to keep this important program going.

“This year is our fourth year,” Hartzler added. “The community does truly extend a caring hand out to these kids, and it is one of those programs we administer – not a part of our campaign – that I am blessed to be a part of.”

The Shop with a Cop program allows children to become familiar with police and feel comfortable in their presence. It also teaches them that police officers are individuals who have unique interests, goals and families of their own, and that they are here to help.

By participating in the program, children gain a positive experience with police officers and officers get to bond with the children and give them a unique perspective on the role of police in the local community.

Since the children involved in the Shop with a Cop program might not always have positive impressions or experiences with police, it also allows them to develop a sense of trust with law enforcement.