Amigos En Azul Brings Joy To Children With 16th Annual Shop With A Cop

The Shop with a Cop program creates a positive environment in which elementary school students can socialize with officers and reinforce the fact that police officers are friends in the community.

Members of Amigos en Azul hosted Shop with a Cop at 9:30 a.m. Friday, December 14, 2018, at the Target store in the Capital Plaza shopping center located at 5621 North IH-35.

During the holidays, Amigos en Azul provides students from area elementary schools with an opportunity to shop with Austin police officers. This year Zavala and Oak Springs were the chosen elementary schools. The program allows disadvantaged children to shop with an officer and make purchases, with Amigos en Azul picking up the tab.

The Shop with a Cop program creates a positive environment in which elementary school students can socialize with officers and reinforce the fact that police officers are friends in the community.

Before the shopping begins, Santa Claus will make an appearance and greet the children. After shopping, participants will join officers for lunch at Cici’s Pizza in the Capital Plaza shopping center.

Other organizations participating and assisting in this program include Target stores, Cops for Charities, Capital Metro, Capital Metro Security Team, St. Chubby Golf Classic and Cici’s Pizza.

Amigos en Azul, or “Friends in Blue,” was founded in 1982 to better bridge the gap between the Hispanic community and the Austin Police Department. Every year they:

• Award scholarships to area high school students
• Encourage recruitment of youth into law enforcement careers and provide a progressive image with which they can identify
• Stimulate by word and deed a more positive identification with law enforcement on behalf of the entire Austin community
• Improve the lines of communication between Spanish speaking people in the community and law enforcement.
• Involved in the established police-community relation programs with the Austin community in adherence to Austin Police Department policies.
• Volunteer in the community conducting outreach programs and crime prevention

Amigos en Azul will host their second Shop with a Cop event December 18 at the Target located in the Southpark Meadows shopping center. This is the first time Amigos en Azul will have multiple agencies participating.

According to officials, they are grateful for their volunteers from the Austin Fire Department, Austin-Travis County EMS, Travis County Sheriff’s Office and Austin Police Department.