Juneau Police Department Chief Ed Mercer helps a child pick out Christmas presents for their families during the annual Shop with a Cop event, sponsored by the Alaska Peace Officer Association, at Fred Meyer on Dec. 21, 2019. (Courtesy photo | Glenn Ojard)

Juneau Police Department Chief Ed Mercer helps a child pick out Christmas presents for their families during the annual Shop with a Cop event, sponsored by the Alaska Peace Officer Association, at Fred Meyer on Dec. 21, 2019. (Courtesy photo | Glenn Ojard)

Police program takes kids shopping for holidays

The event, held at Fred Meyer, helped to spread some holiday cheer

The Juneau Police Department held its annual Shop with a Cop event with the Alaska Peace Officers Association, taking more than 30 children shopping for their families.

“It went pretty darn well,” said Erann Kalwara, public safety manager with the JPD, during a phone interview. “We went shopping with a lot of kids.”

A group of 35 mixed-service officers paired off with 35 children to help them shop for gifts for their families on Saturday. The shopping was supported by donations to the APOA, which went toward gifts for the children, their families and food donations for the Christmas meal.

“The person who organizes it has been doing it for a while and they’ve got it down to art,” Kalwara said.

JPD has been taking part in the benefit for at least nine years, Kalwara said, and Dee Enoch has been organizing the event for the APOA since 2014.

Uniformed officers were drawn from the Alaska State Troopers, the Alaska Wildlife Troopers, JPD, the TSA, NOAA, and the Alaska Department of Corrections. Officers accompanied children as they went to Fred Meyer in a vehicle convoy from the police station. Once at Fred Meyer, children and their partner officer would go through the store, shopping for gifts for their families. Strategies for this process varied widely, Kalwara said.

Erann Kalwara, public safety manager with the Juneau Police Department, helps a child pick out Christmas presents for their families during the annual Shop with a Cop event, sponsored by the Alaska Peace Officer Association, at Fred Meyer on Dec. 21, 2019. (Courtesy photo | Juneau Police Department)

Erann Kalwara, public safety manager with the Juneau Police Department, helps a child pick out Christmas presents for their families during the annual Shop with a Cop event, sponsored by the Alaska Peace Officer Association, at Fred Meyer on Dec. 21, 2019. (Courtesy photo | Juneau Police Department)

“Some kids bring a list,” Kalwara said. “Some kids kind of wing it.”

Once they returned to the station, the children went home while dozens of volunteers rapidly wrapped and sorted all the gifts for the children and their families in about four hours, Kalwara said. Once the presents were sorted, officers delivered the gifts to the children at their homes.

“My experience with it is always delightful. I received a text from one of the mothers this year. They don’t have the money for a tree or gifts,” Kalwara said. “She said that Shop with a Cop was a blessing and meant the world to her son and her. She was in tears when she received the call that their family was chosen.”

Local residents and business contributed financially to the APOA, making Shop with a Cop possible, Kalwara. Local businesses, including Fred Mayer, Bullwinkle’s Pizza and the Zach Gordon Youth Center also donated to the organization to help the event. All of the gift wrapping supplies were donated.


• Contact reporter Michael S. Lockett at 757-621-1197 or mlockett@juneauempire.com.


More in News

Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File
The Aurora Borealis glows over the Mendenhall Glacier in 2014.
Aurora Forecast

Forecasts from the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute for the week of March. 19

The FBI Anchorage Field Office is seeking information about this man in relation to a Wednesday bank robbery in Anchorage, the agency announced Thursday afternoon. Anyone with information regarding the bank robbery can contact the FBI Anchorage Field Office at 907-276-4441 or tips.fbi.gov. Tips can be submitted anonymously.  (FBI)
FBI seeks info in Anchorage bank robbery

The robbery took place at 1:24 p.m. on Wednesday.

Kevin Maier
Sustainable Alaska: Climate stories, climate futures

The UAS Sustainability Committee is hosting a series of public events in April…

Reps. Tom McKay, R-Anchorage, and Andi Story, D-Juneau, offering competing amendments to a bill increasing the per-student funding formula for public schools by $1,250 during a House Education Committee meeting Wednesday morning. McKay’s proposal to lower the increase to $150 was defeated. Story’s proposal to implement an increase during the next two years was approved, after her proposed amounts totalling about $1,500 were reduced to $800.
Battle lines for education funding boost get clearer

$800 increase over two years OKd by House committee, Senate proposing $1,348 two-year increase

A call for a joint session of the Alaska State Legislature to cast a vote that would reject recently-approved salary increases for legislators and top executive branch officials is made by State House Speaker Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla, during a press conference Tuesday. Senate President Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, rejected the joint session in a letter to Tilton on Wednesday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
House efforts to nix legislative pay raises hit Senate roadblock

Call for a joint session rejected by upper chamber, bills to overturn pay hikes may lack support

A simulated photo shows the tailings stack and other features of Hecla Greens Creek Mine under the most aggressive of four alternatives for expanding the mine in an environmental impact assessment published Thursday by the U.S Forest Service. The tailings stack is modestly to drastically smaller in the other alternatives. The public comment period for the study is from March 24 to May 8. (U.S. Forest Service)
New study digs into alternatives for Greens Creek Mine expansion

Public comment starts Friday on four options that could extend mine’s life up to 40 years

This image shows the Juneau Lions Club Gold Medal Basketball Tournament's logo. The club is looking for submissions of logos for the historic tournament's 75th anniversary. The winning artist will receive a $250 prize. (Screenshot)
Take your shot at a Gold Medal logo

Upcoming milestone prompts call for art.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
Police calls for Thursday, March 23, 2023

This report contains information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

The Juneau School Board recently announced the three finalists for the district’s superintendent position: Frank Hauser, Carlee Simon and Thom Peck. The district is hosting a public forum from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, March 27 at Thunder Mountain High School for students, parents and staff to meet the three candidates. Additionally, the trio will be interviewed by the school board on Tuesday, March 28. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)
School district announces finalists for superintendent post

Public forum and interviews scheduled for next week.

Most Read