Kotzebue Police Major Crimes Investigator Hal Henning decided to launch a nation-wide program called Shop with a Cop in the Northwest Arctic this holiday season for a couple different reasons.The first being the chance for a selected number of youth from the NANA region to spend $200 of donated funds on Christmas presents — for themselves and for family and friends. The second reason, Henning said, is a chance for youth to perhaps see that police and emergency responders are not just around when something bad happens.
Henning and other members of KPD solicited $2,700 in donated funds and will gather a dozen youth from the Northwest Arctic to spend the money at the AC Value Center in Kotzebue on Saturday. Members of the Alaska State Troopers, Kotzebue Police Department, a couple of Village Public Safety Officers and possible representatives from the Kotzebue Fire Department will be on hand to hang out with the kids while they shop for gifts and goodies.
Kids will be paired up with a police officer or firefighter at 10 a.m. on Saturday and given the AC gift card to spend as they wish.
“That program had a lot of success and helped by showing a different side of law enforcement for children, and also bringing a solution to a need in the community,” Henning said last week from Kotzebue.
“Most of time, when kids have interactions with law enforcement it’s usually because there’s something traumatic going on in their lives. We just want to show them that we’re not just here when bad things happen, we’re there when good things happen and when we’re there, good things will happen.”
The Shop with a Cop program happens across the country each year with Alaska programs already in place in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Juneau.
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