The brainchild of a Bluffton police officer, the first "Shop with a Cop" event took place in December 2018.
This event is a day in which local students, chosen by an officer to participate, are given a gift card and the chance to go Christmas shopping with the police.
In 2018, students were given a $100 gift card to pay for their gifts. In 2019, the department was able to raise more than $4,000 through private donations. The donations allowed the program to double the amount, giving each student a $200 gift card. The students use the gift cards to shop for their families or to purchase themselves Christmas gifts.
Donations
Anyone interested in making a donation to the "Shop with a Cop" program can do so by making monetary donations to the Bluffton Police Department. Checks must be made out to the Bluffton Police Department with "Shop with a Cop" in the memo/for section of the check. The deadline to donate is December 15th of each year.