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Local officials reflect on the value of ‘Shop with a Cop’ for regional youngsters

By Shane Gilreath
SCN Contributing Editor
[email protected]

For many Scott County families, December dawns with a tradition that has become as meaningful to its participants as any local holiday event, parade, or pageant. That event, of course, is Shop with a Cop, around which one can feel tangible excitement and ample gratitude in the air as the event approaches. Year after year, the program transforms a routine shopping trip into an unforgettable experience for local boys and girls, pairing students, chosen by their schools, with law enforcement officers from a variety of agencies for a night that blends generosity, mentorship, and community spirit – a spirit that resonates throughout the community.
Like any long-standing tradition, Scott County residents have come to anticipate the local Shop with a Cop program, supporting it as both patrons and participants, as children from across the region are ushered into Walmart in Oneida for their annual holiday takeover. The program is designed to support families facing a wide range of challenges, including financial hardship, homelessness, foster care and adoption, incarceration of parents or guardians, and serious medical issues. Each child is given the chance not only to shop for themselves, but also to select gifts for siblings, parents, and loved ones, all while being guided through the store by an officer acting in a multi-faceted role: elf, shopping companion, and mentor.
And once a child is chosen, their siblings are included as well, Oneida Police Chief Darryl Laxton told SCN, ensuring the experience extends far beyond just one youngster in the family.
According to Laxton, last year the program served 208 children, with each participant receiving $150 to spend. By the end of the night, Laxton said he had written a check to Walmart for $30,000, all of which was raised through community support.
“We’ve done good,” Laxton said of the program, crediting its success almost entirely to its donors. Those supporters include private citizens, business owners, and many generous contributors who prefer to remain completely anonymous, according to the chief, who is quick to assure the public that every penny donated goes directly to the children who benefit from the program.
“We’ve pretty much met our goal this year,” Laxton told SCN. “And whatever is left after this year will be spent next year.”
Few realize just how much Shop with a Cop means to the law enforcement officers who help with it, or how close it came to disappearing locally. Laxton told SCN last week that before he became chief, the program was run through the Fraternal Order of Police, which no longer exists in the area. With no organization to carry it forward, the future looked bleak, despite the children who rely on it. It was Walmart who then approached Laxton, telling him the event would not happen unless someone stepped in to lead it. At the time, there was no money and only two weeks ticking away on the clock. That first year, Walmart helped with a sizable grant, but Laxton emphasized that since then, the program has not relied on corporate funding.
Instead, it has been sustained by the people and moments that so obviously impact him. “I’ve had people walk up to me in Walmart, and give me $100,” Laxton said. “People I don’t even know, and I don’t think know me. It’s a good feeling.”
For Laxton, the impact goes beyond how much is raised or by whom. “Shop with a Cop is the best part of my job,” Laxton said. “I’ll go until I retire.”
Those sentiments were echoed broadly.
McCreary County Sheriff David Sampson has shared much the same sentiments as his Tennessee counterparts. “Shop with a Cop is one of the best perks of this job,” he said, noting that his office is proud of be a part of the event and expressing his gratitude for those who help make the event possible.
Oneida Mayor Lori Phillips-Jones praised the program’s ability to connect generations. “I am so thankful for the ‘Shop with a Cop’ program that has developed over the years,” she told SCN. “It creates such great memories and strong community bonds with our youth. Many people who donate to the program have either shopped as a kid or have had their family helped with the program. It’s truly heartwarming to see the smiles on the kids’ faces – and the officers, too. It is truly a great example of a community coming together to care for our kids.”
Those feelings resonate throughout both Scott and McCreary Counties, both of whom participate in the event. For Scott County Sheriff Brian Keeton, it’s an even that could have longer impacts than one night. “Supporting our children strengthens our community,” Keeton said, who expressed gratitude to the Oneida Police Department and all the agencies who come together every year. “It reminds the public that safety is about more than enforcement. It’s about compassion, unity, and investing in our community’s future.”
Scott County Mayor Jerried Jeffers, himself a former law enforcement officer, had equally supportive words for a program that has meant so much. “It is a great program that helps the children of our community,” Jeffers told SCN. “It also helps build trust and confidence between the community and law enforcement by working together for the common good of our people.”
With the help of multiple law enforcement agencies, community volunteers, and a grateful public, Shop with a Cop continues to do more than provide Christmas gifts. It’s clear to observers how it delivers hope, builds trust, and creates lifelong memories – an event that, as Dickens wrote, honors Christmas in the heart. A sentiment that’s safely assured for participates on both ends of the event. And that’s something that should make Scott County immensely proud.