Patrol gives back to families for Christmas

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Troopers from the Van Wert Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol were at Walmart on Sunday afternoon for the post’s “Shop with a Cop” Christmas shopping program.

According to Post Commander Lt. Johnathan Gray, two families were identified in conjunction with the local Salvation Army to participate in the program. The families included a total of six youngsters.

“This year, we spoke with the families, and they all wanted to shop with us,” Lt. Gray said, noting that most of the troopers and dispatchers who came out to shop — nearly the entire post — were there on their own time.

The gifts on Sunday afternoon included clothes and shoes, a child safety seat, remote control cars, video games, and even a bicycle, while Lt. Gray said the troopers and dispatchers also purchased batteries for devices out of their own pockets so that didn’t have to come out of the families’ gift allowance. He also noted that post staff also donated extra money for the child safety seat.

“We always try to reach out during the holidays and make someone’s holiday a little easier,” the post commander added. “We understand that, in this world, not everybody is as fortunate as we are, and so there are days where it’s nice to help somebody out and they don’t have to worry about having a good holiday.”

The post commander also noted that nearly all of the troopers and dispatchers at Walmart on Sunday either lived in the community or close to it, giving them a sense of community ownership.

“It’s our community as well, not just where we work,” he said, adding, “We’re all about traffic safety, but there are times we need to be seen in the community as part of the community.”

Walmart provides some assistance with shopping, as well as a dedicated register during check-out.