SOUTH POINT — The annual Lawrence County Shop With a Cop took place on Monday at the South Point Walmart, helping to make Christmas brighter to children in need.

Sheriff Jeff Lawless said this year the program, which has been around for more than a decade, helped 61 children.

He said they take recommendations for families in need from local schools, as well as cases officers have encountered on the job.

“And we try not to do repeats each year so we can reach more,” Lawless said.

He said the program is paid for throughout the year from donations and officers conduct fundraising efforts.

The families line up in the garden center of the store, where each child was paired with an officer for shopping.

They were given a budget of $175 and proceeded first to the clothing department, where they bought coats, shoes and other necessities first. From there, they went to the toy department to spend the remaining funds.

Lawless said sheriff’s deputies, village and city police and probation officers took part in the event, with about 50 in total there.

Randy Thompson, the interim police chief for Chesapeake, said he and child he paired up with had a good time.

“We bought remote control cars, video games and a skateboard,”
he said. “But I made him buy a helmet and pads for that.”

Thompson said the experience was just as enjoyable for the officers.

“I think we get more happiness seeing the kids get these gifts than they do getting them,” he said.

As the families were leaving the store, they were given a tote of food, containing a turkey, a frozen pie and other items.

Afterward, the families were treated to dinner at Ponderosa in South Point.