Santa Cop gives kids positive interaction with Atlanta police

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By Marcus K. Garner

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Several dozen Atlanta children who may not have had Christmas saw their fortunes reversed Wednesday.

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John Spink, jspink@ajc.com Atlanta police Detective J.A. Trombley got into the spirit of things with his Santa hat along with Joey Apoia, 7, Wednesday.

Photos: Children, officers shop together

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Through donations collected from its members and sponsorship from Target, the local International Brotherhood of Police chapter’s Santa Cop program was able to commit more than $10,000 to treating 40 children to breakfast and a day of Christmas shopping.

And Atlanta police and police department employees enjoyed an opportunity to share season’s cheer with some of the families they've been charged to protect.

“I just love it,” Officer Katie Riester said, shopping Wednesday with 11-year-old Shandria Byrd. “It gets me in the holiday spirit.”

After breakfast at the Hard Rock Café, the children were taken to the Target at Atlantic Station where each child had a chance to spend $150 in the store on gifts for themselves or for loved ones.

“I bought my mom some perfume,” Shandria said. “I asked her what she wanted for Christmas.”

In addition, the program gives $50 Kroger gift cards to each child’s parent to go toward a holiday dinner.

“It’s a blessing to have anybody do anything,” said Ricky Kelly, who waited Wednesday morning while his 12-year-old daughter Zikia Kelly shopped with a cop. “Any little bit will help.”

IBOP Local 623 president Kenneth Allen, who works with the Atlanta burglary task force, said the children participating in the event are often selected by officers on the street who encounter families they feel could benefit from the help.

And because the Santa Cop program has been growing in popularity since it began 13 years ago, city officials, command staff and people from other law enforcement agencies have also begun recommending children to participate.

And the officers have been more than happy to step up and help.

Motorcycle officer DeWayne Warren was a first-time Santa Cop, who quickly took the opportunity to get involved.

“They said they needed a few more officers this morning in roll call, and my partner an I volunteered,” Warren said.

The officers are paired with one or more children and escort them through the store to select their gifts. One of the primary goals is to make sure the children don’t go over the limit on the gift card they are given.

All the while, the children – many from hardscrabble neighborhoods – are exposed to a side of the police they might not normally see.

“It makes for good relationships between kids and the police,” said Det. Jason Trombley, a 15-year veteran. “Some of the families, we’ll see more than once. And they’ll recognize you when you come up to them.”

Allen considered the activity a form of pre-emptive crime fighting.

“A lot of these kids only see the officers when there is some type of an incident,” he said. “So they don’t’ get a chance to really interact with us on a really personal and happy event day. We hope that it just changes for the impression and they have of us.”

Trombley, a 12-year Santa Cop veteran, said he most enjoys seeing the children think of others while they’re shopping.

“One of the things that makes you feel good is when these kids are shopping … [rather] than spend all their money on themselves but, they’ll buy gifts for their family members,” he said. “It’s good that we can try and give back to them, but they’re also trying to give back to their families.”

Tiffany Conley, 14, exemplified Trombley’s words, buying a Sony Playstation game for her older brother and candles and an assortment of gift cards for her mother.

“I wanted to make sure everybody got something,” she said. “I’m just a caring person.”