At 10 am this morning, December 17, 2022, The Kenosha County Deputy Sheriff Association held its 30th annual Shop with A Cop Program at Meijer in Kenosha. About 30 area kids got a chance to shop with a Kenosha County Deputy. Detective Tim Hackbarth, President of KCDSA, kicked off the event with some “bad news.” When talking about each child’s limit for buying gifts, he said “We’re not gonna be able to do $100 [each]. I’m very very sorry. But how about we do $200? Would that be better?” To which the kids cheered. “I wish we could’ve done that but I don’t even know if we can even do $200. What is a good number for 30 years? Three hundred dollars!” The kids were very happy. This is the highest amount per kid in the history of the program.

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Hackbarth told KCE that generous business owners, community members and even many folks outside the community are responsible for the record-breaking event. “Many of these people don’t even want recognition, they just want to see these kids happy.” Hackbarth said this is his 14th years running the Shop With a Cop program and it brings him a great deal of joy to be able to unite the children and law enforcement officers for a truly wonderful experience. Each child also received a $100 gift card that can be used for Christmas dinners. Theses are paid for by the deputies themselves with their association dues and fundraising.

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With that, the kids were off to shop after they each selected a Deputy. County Executive Samantha Kerkman was present this morning and helped wrap gifts with other volunteers. Sheriff Beth was not in attendance, but his successor, Sheriff-Elect Dave Zoerner and his wife Amy were at the event. “Tim Hackbarth and the other deputies do such a wonderful job every year brightening Christmas for so many kids. I’m so happy to have been invited to participate in such a great event,” said Zoerner.

What was notable while watching the kids run around being chased by cops, was that many of the kids were thinking about brothers, sisters, cousins, parents, and others, and less about themselves. One boy was looking to pick out a pair of shoes that he thought his brother would like. One child bought his deputy a giant Hershey’s Kiss. One child did not buy a single gift for herself, but instead used her quota for others. It truly is the season of giving! Merry Christmas from KCE! Please enjoy the photos below.

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