Sunday marked the ninth year that Parsons police provided a little Christmas cheer to the community with its annual Shop With a Cop program. The Parsons Police Department helped 30 children from the community shop for Christmas. The partnership with USD 503 identifies children and families in need. The continued support from The Duke Mason Band, which does a yearly Christmas concert and donates the proceeds to the program, along with the personal donations from community members provided the means of helping. The department also gets donations yearly from St. Vincent de Paul and has a great partnership with Walmart for its donations and support for the program. “We are gearing up for next year, which will mark the 10th year the department has been able to help families and children of the community,” Police Chief Robert Spinks said. “This program is one of the most important opportunities that we get to really reach out and interact with children of the community in a truly positive manner. This really helps the public’s perception of law enforcement as well as connecting officers with the future of our community. It’s like planting seeds of positivity and we just wait to see them grow a little each year.” The department also partners with other agencies to help with the shopping event. “This has become so large it is too much for just our staff to handle alone,” according to Deputy Chief Dennis Dodd.
Source: Parsons Sun
