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Kentucky State Police Post 10, Harlan, held their annual Shop with a Trooper event on Tuesday, Dec. 13, at Walmart in Harlan, with students from local elementary schools spending time with the Troopers to shop for clothing and toys.

Kentucky State Police (KSP) Trooper Shane Jacobs, Public Information Officer for Post 10, Harlan, gave details about this year’s Shop with a Trooper event.

“Today we’re in Harlan County,” Jacobs said. “We’ll take 19 kids from Black Mountain Elementary, Cumberland Elementary, and Harlan Elementary, and they’ll be paired up with a trooper or individual that works at Post 10.”

Jacobs explained the children will each have a certain amount of money to spend on themselves.

“Each child will get to spend approximately $175 today,” Jacobs said. “We want to make sure they get some type of clothing first – coats, shoes, etc. – once they get some clothing, we will head straight to the toy aisle.”

Shop with a Trooper has been an annual KSP event for many years.

“This is just another way the Kentucky State Police can give back to our community,” Jacobs said. “We work hard all year to raise money; we get donations from local businesses throughout the communities in Harlan, Bell, and Knox counties. We’re able to team up with them and then give back to our community and help these kids out.”

Shop with a Trooper has become a favorite event for the personnel at Post 10.

“This is a favorite time of year to be able to give back to these kids and see the smiles on their faces,” Jacobs said. “Tomorrow, we’ll be in Knox County; yesterday we were in Bell County.”

While Shop with a Trooper is a Kentucky State Police event, a few officers from other local law enforcement agencies could be seen taking part in the fun, including Harlan County Schools Police Chief Matt Cope.

“Captain (Danny) Caudill called and invited me to come out and be a part of this with them,” Cope said. “It’s always a pleasure to get to come out and do things with the kids in the county…just seeing their face light up when they get a gift or pick out something for someone else makes it a pleasure to be here.”

KSP Post 10 Captain Danny Caudill took part in Shop with a Trooper.

“Yesterday we were at Walmart in Middlesboro,” Caudill said. “I think we had 18 kids there. We’re in Harlan today with 18 kids and will be in Barbourville tomorrow. By the time we’re finished, we’ll shop with over 60 kids in our Post 10 district.”

Caudill noted Shop with a Trooper allows children to see troopers in a positive light.

“This is way kids will have a positive interaction with us, because often times when we’re called to their homes or they’re involved in an accident or some type of incident, it isn’t so positive,” Caudill said. “They get to talk to us, get to know us, and see us at a more personal level.”