Local youngsters ‘Shop with a Cop’

A group of youngsters has their Christmas shopping done, thanks to some local police officers.
The Lancaster Bureau of Police, along with officers from about a dozen other Lancaster County departments, took part in “Shop With A Cop” on Saturday.
Each officer was partnered with a local child, who has been impacted by the criminal justice system and they shopped for Christmas presents.
The event was hosted and paid for by Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Lancaster.
“You have kids whose parents are going to jail and all that, and they have a negative view of police officers. This is kind of a way of them building relationships and really breaking down barriers and it’s also a way of building the community too,” says Jesse Hannigan with Holy Trinity Lutheran Church.
63 children and 25 police officers took part in the event at the Wal-Mart in East Lampeter Township.
Afterward, they went back to the church for lunch and to wrap the gifts.