ALAMOSA — Nothing quite says “it’s Christmas” like seeing a big, burly cop with the Alamosa Police Department (APD) helping a third-grade girl pick out pajamas for her little sister or an APD officer making sure all shoelaces are tied before the pair begin to shop.  

Those were just two of the deeply heartwarming scenes in Walmart on Saturday morning when “Shop with a Cop” took place and individual law enforcement officers were paired up with individual kids that they then took Christmas shopping.   

Now in its tenth year, the event was bigger than ever with $14,000 raised throughout the year, $8,000 of which was used this Christmas with the remaining $6,000 set aside for 2025.  And there was no shortage of cops to do the shopping with officers from a half dozen law enforcement agencies coming in on their day off, including Alamosa Police Department – who arranges it all each year, Alamosa Sheriff’s Office, Conejos County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Colorado State Patrol and Adams State University Police Department. More than a few who were there told the Valley Courier “Shop with a Cop” is their favorite day of the year. 

According to APD Sgt. William Squires, the main organizer of the event, all of the kids are in the third, fourth or fifth grade and attend either Alamosa 3-5 or Sangre de Cristo. To participate, they had to be nominated by their teacher.  

Squires said a total of 30 kids were involved, 24 kids from the two schools who were there on Saturday and kids from two families who had been referred by the Colorado Department of Human Services. 

To be clear, this event is not about kids shopping with cops to pick out Christmas gifts for themselves. On the contrary, each child and officer are shopping for members of the child’s family, which can mean brothers and sisters, moms or dads, grandparents or special aunts and uncles.  

It was apparent from the beginning that each kid, despite being just 8, 9, or 10 years old, took the opportunity very seriously. At the very beginning, a few of the kids seemed to be a little overwhelmed at the prospect of being able to pick out gifts for each member of their family, not to mention doing so with a cop helping them along. But even once they became more comfortable and started choosing gifts, each choice was thoughtfully made.  

With the help of Officer Jareb Aziz, Dominique, a third grader, spent a while deciding which bathrobe her mother might like, and which pajamas would be best for her little sister. “I already got [my sister] a stuffed animal,” she said, pointing to a large stuffed animal in the cart. “But I’m going to get her pajamas, too, because I want her to be comfortable.”  

It’s easy to forget that Dominique is just eight years old. 

“None of the kids pick out anything for themselves,” Officer Fabien Juarez said. “Not one.” Juarez, who has been with the department for five years, helped Sgt. Squires with some of the organization on the day of the event. “This is a huge blessing for a lot of families. I look forward to this day all year – helping families in need. Some kids aren’t even asking for toys. They’re asking for pots and pans for their families. It’s a good day. And…sometimes…” Juarez then shakes his head and halfway smiles. “My daughter told me this morning, ‘Dad, prepare yourself mentally because you know you’re going to come home and cry’.” He shrugs and smiles again. “It’s just so sad sometimes.” 

Sgt. Squires had the same take on what gifts kids were buying this year. “Two years ago, we were buying mattresses because mom and dad were sleeping on the floor and, well, we can’t have that. This year, there’s been a lot of bedding being bought. And blankets. One kid bought a vacuum. And clothes. A lot of kids are buying clothes for their brothers and sisters.” 

The kids may not pick out things for themselves, but there is no way that the police department and the others would ever allow the kids shopping for their families to go without getting gifts for Christmas, too. In fact, Squires and a few other officers go shopping for the kids themselves in advance of “Shop with a Cop”. Those gifts were waiting at the police department facility where everyone met that morning to come to Walmart. According to APD Co-responder Tim Dillett, “They were all very surprised to see they had presents. Santa has many helpers.” 

When talking about the event, Sgt. Squires is the first to give credit where it’s due. “There are a lot of organizations and individuals who have helped out,” Squires said. “The biggest one is the Hoodlums Car Club – they always make big donations.” Squires listed other donors, including First Family Christmas Dinner, Darren Bolt and “private citizens.” 

“Last week,” he said, “a man just walked into the station and put down two hundred and fifty dollars. The community has been amazing. Really amazing.” 

After the shopping was done and all of the cop-kid duos had headed back in patrol cars to the training center where volunteers were waiting to wrap the gifts the kids had bought, Squires took what money was left and bought five $100 gift cards. He then called over some officers and handed them the cards, telling them to go through the store and give them to people who looked like they could use it.  

While following around the officers and kids and then talking to various officers with APD about their experience, it was hard not to notice what impact the event was having on the members of the public who were shopping.  

Some walked in a little leery after seeing patrol cars from multiple agencies in front of Walmart with their lights still flashing. But, once inside where they could see what was going on, there were very few people, including people who were already shopping, that passed by without smiling. A few even came up to thank the officers for what they were doing.  

With everything all wrapped up, Squires prepared to head to the training center but not without first asking a few officers who were still there to “go in the back and get those bicycles.” He then turned and said before walking out, “Three of the kids wanted bikes.”