Cops & Kids shopping to fill carts and hearts with Christmas joy

About 30 officers and detectives from the Richland and West Richland Police Departments and many volunteers teamed up Thursday to give 18 elementary school children the chance to shop for presents.

The annual Cops & Kids Christmas shopping event was at the Richland Walmart store.

Since 2016, the Cops & Kids event has served over 80 Richland and West Richland families, providing children with the opportunity to shop for themselves or their loved ones, during a time when it can be hard to afford necessities, according to a school district news release.

The children are selected to participate in the event by the Communities in Schools of Benton-Franklin Counties, a nonprofit dedicated to the success of school-aged children.

They were chosen based on need and were recommended by the agency’s student support coordinator stationed at each elementary school in the Richland School District.