Local police departments, including Campbell PD gathered together to help put smiles on the faces of local youth.
On Dec. 13, the annual Shop with a Cop event took place at the Target Store on Colman Avenue in San Jose. The event offered 40 children from Santee Elementary School in San Jose the chance to purchase holiday gifts for themselves and their family. Of these local youth, three were orphaned when their parents were murdered this past summer.
This was the first year Campbell Police participated in the program.
"When we heard about this worthwhile event, we jumped at the opportunity to participate," said Campbell Police Capt. Dave Carmichael. "It was a great opportunity for the City of Campbell and the Campbell Police Department to show the community our appreciation. Mayor Low and our officers volunteered to support a great cause and we found it to be a very rewarding experience."
Six Campbell police officers--Sgt. Gary Berg, Agent Martin Rivera, Officers Kurt Melcher, Chris Milosovich, Chris Laine and Andre Ribeiro--participated in the event along with Campbell's newly re-elected Mayor Evan Low. The Campbell Police Officers' Association also made a monetary donation to the cause.
"Campbell's finest not only put themselves in the line of fire each day they go to work, but they are also working hard to build a stronger community," Low said. "I am appreciative of our men and women in uniform who continually go above and beyond the call of duty when asked to serve.
"This event is a perfect example of public-private partnerships," he said. "I am hopeful that this program would expand in the future. Campbell should be proud to know that we have such benevolent public servants."
Other participating police departments included:
- San Jose Police Department
- San Jose Police Reserves
- San Jose Police Dispatchers
- California Highway Patrol
- Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department
- Campbell Police Department
- San Jose/Evergreen District Police
- West Valley College District Police
"The best part of this event was that each child was paired up individually with one of our officers," Carmichael said. "I think this is what really made the experience special, not only for the children, but for our officers as well."
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