Once again this year, between 15 and 20 Highland County children will be treated to a day of fun and shopping during the annual Shop with a Cop event Tuesday, Dec. 12.

The day, which pairs each child with a mentor who is a law enforcement officer, will begin with breakfast at the Old Y Restaurant south of Hillsboro. From there, the group will be part of a motorcade of lighted cruisers headed to Walmart in Hillsboro for Christmas shopping.

Following the shopping trip, the children will go to Highland Lanes in Hillsboro for lunch, bowling and games.

“Before the day concludes, we’ll go out to the (Hillsboro) VFW Post on West Main Street and wrap up their gifts and send them home with them,” said Highland County Sheriff’s Deputy Damon Haught, who coordinates the Shop with a Cop event in Highland County and serves as the president of the Highland County Peace Officers Association.

The event is a joint effort between law enforcement officers in Highland and Brown counties. The Highland County organization was organized in 2017 to raise money for the annual event, and fundraisers are held throughout the year.

“They’ll have a set amount of money to spend for the child and their family and then, of course, the officers will be doing the shopping with them,” said Haught. “It’s enough to cover gifts for the whole family.”

Along with the Highland County Sheriff’s Office, the event includes the Hillsboro, Greenfield, Leesburg and Lynchburg police departments. The Ohio State Patrol and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) also participate.

“It’s usually between 15 and 20 law enforcement officers in the county,” said Haught. “We’ll have at least 20 cruisers in our group, and of course Brown County brings a lot of village police departments with their group.”

The children, ages 9-12 who participate in the program, are selected from the five public school districts in Highland County. “They know the families that will be able to benefit from the experience,” said Haught. “It’s not necessarily the low income people because we’ve had children that just had some bad situations and needed the experience.”

Typically, at least three children from each school district are selected.

“Obviously, it’s important because children need a positive experience with law enforcement,” said Haught. “They just need a positive experience and a little mentoring goes a long way.”

Haught said that while the event is a fun day for the children, he thinks the officers have more fun than the kids.

“We appreciate the community support that’s been behind us through the years, so when we bring the kids through town, if anybody is out and about and wants to stop out and waive at us as we drive out on our way through the day, we’d appreciate it,” he said.

Reach John Hackley at 937-402-2571.