Annual “Shop with a Cop” event held in La Vergne

Officers from the La Vergne Police Department took 13 local children out for the annual “Shop with a Cop” event. All of the kids are from La Vergne and we’re selected by the department’s Community Service Program Coordinator, Sgt. Sheree Robertson. The children were all treated to lunch at Bojangles before going across the parking lot to Walmart where they were each given $150 to spend on whatever they wanted.

Sgt. Eric Staats, President of the FOP Lodge, said “this is a great opportunity for us to connect with kids in our community who need help. It helps repair that relationship between officers and the community and brings us together while also doing something to help out the people that need it.”

All the funds for the Shop with a Cop were raised by the Fraternal Order of Police Percy Priest Lodge 85, which is mainly made up of officers from La Vergne (61 of the 64 officers in the lodge serve in La Vergne). Lodge members raised the funds by participating in No Shave November ($30 to participate) and Double Down December ($60 to participate) which allows officers to grow out their facial hair for those months. They were also able to fund the shopping trip thanks to lodge dues and donations.