Battle Ground police take 17 children on Walmart shopping spree

BATTLE GROUND — The Battle Ground Police Department took 17 children shopping at Walmart for gifts on Dec. 14 for the agency’s sixth annual Shop with a Cop. Students who participated, including some from the Police Athletic League, were nominated to participate in the Shop with a Cop program “for their exemplary citizenship and academic efforts,” according to a news release. Staff at the Battle Ground Walmart provided refreshments and each child was given a $180 gift card and as much time as they needed to shop with their cop and a Walmart employee. The police department was given a $2,500 grant from the Walmart Foundation; a $500 donation from Coca-Cola; and a $250 donation from a private citizen to fund the shopping spree. Meanwhile Nabisco donated a large stocking stuffed with toys and other items for one child. “We appreciate Walmart’s support of this program,” Battle Ground Police Chief Bob Richardson said in a news release. “These kids are deserving and our officers appreciate the opportunity to further build relationships with them and with the public we serve.”