Derion Noonan, 11, second from right, poses for a photo with Johnson County Sheriff’s Sgt. Ryan Bartlett, far right, Santa Claus and Maj. Andy Fisher during Shop with a Cop at Meijer on Saturday in Greenwood. Noah Crenshaw | Daily Journal
Aisle-by-aisle, the shopping cart was filled more and more.
First it was sweatshirts, then it was toys and playing cards. Minutes later, two video game controllers were added, and after that a Kansas City Chiefs hat and a Minnesota Vikings jersey.
Similar scenes played out simultaneously across the Meijer on Marlin Drive Saturday morning in Greenwood. For a few hours, local law enforcement officers made Christmas wishes come true for many area children during Shop with a Cop, the Johnson County Fraternal Order of Police’s annual holiday event that gives children in need the opportunity to shop with police officers for Christmas.
Thirty-six kids were paired up with about law enforcement officers from agencies across Johnson County — including the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and police departments in Bargersville, Edinburgh, Franklin, Greenwood and Whiteland for this year’s Shop with a Cop. The event is made possible through donations the FOP receives from the community, businesses and foundations.
Among the 36 children able to take part this year was 11-year-old Derion Noonan of Whiteland, who was paired with Maj. Andy Fisher and Sgt. Ryan Bartlett from the sheriff’s office. They, along with Bartlett’s wife Melissa, and Kaidon Carter, scoured the store for the items Derion wanted for Christmas.
Their budget was $300, and they grabbed as much as they could to hit that number. By the time the shopping trip was done, Derion was able to get new sweatshirts, playing cards, a bouncy ball, WWE toys and two Xbox controllers. There was also the candy he got while waiting in line to checkout.
Derion’s favorite part of the shopping experience? All of it, he said.
“Happy and excited,” Derion said after being asked how he felt.
Jason Shafer, Derion’s father, let Derion shop with the deputies by himself. After they checked out, Derion ran up to Shafer to hug him and show him what he was able to get.
Shop with a Cop was something that Derion looked forward to. They did it once before when they lived in Terre Haute and he enjoyed it then, Shafer said.
Being able to take part in this year’s event also had a special significance to Derion. On Sunday, one day after, he turned 11.
“It was just something that allowed him to get some more stuff that he wanted and made his birthday and Christmas a little more special,” Shafer said.
Maj. Andy Fisher has done Shop with a Cop nearly every year since it began 20-or-so years ago. He continues to take part in it because he loves how happy the children get, he said.
The event is also a great way to help build community relations, allowing law enforcement to build trust with youth from a young age, Fisher said.
“It’s gonna go a long way as they get older in life and may need us for something, or we may need them,” he said.
Shop with a Cop is also a way to help children get something they want for Christmas when they may not have the best financial situation, Fisher said.
“We try to get these kids things that they can’t obtain otherwise, whether it’s clothes or toys,” Bartlett said.
There are a lot of families in the county that aren’t able to provide a Christmas for their children. This is part of the reason why Shop with a Cop is so important, said Evan Preston, a sheriff’s deputy and county FOP secretary.
“That’s why we exist,” Preston said. “To make sure that we give these kids an opportunity to have toys and winter clothes that they need to make them be able to have a better Christmas.”
The FOP’s primary mission is to support law enforcement, providing assistance to those injured in the line of duty or who become sick. Shop with the Cop is one of the biggest things they do outside of supporting law enforcement, Preston said.
The event wouldn’t be possible without the numerous donations the FOP receives for it throughout the year. This year, the FOP took in donations from Centra Credit Union, Meijer and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Charity Ride, to name a few.
Donations also came from the sheriff’s office through a No Shave November initiative, where deputies gave funds to be allowed to have beards, Preston said. Community members also donated.
“We couldn’t do this without community members,” Preston said.
Those who are interested in donating to Shop with a Cop can send a check mailed and made out to Johnson County FOP Lodge 154, PO Box 641, Franklin, IN 46131.
