Eyes glow, teeth show and children of all different backgrounds and ages gather along the sidewalk of Target in Texarkana as police and fire department vehicles roll into the parking lot, lights flashing with sirens blaring, ready to make Christmas a special time for children. On Dec. 3, Target of Texarkana and local law enforcement and fire departments hosted the Annual Shop with a Cop and Firefighter event for local children.

Texarkana Independent School District police officers hold this event close to their hearts and want to give back as much as possible to their community. Officer Bart Veal holds an even deeper feeling towards this very wholesome experience.

“My history [with Shop with a Cop & Firefighter] started back in, I think, 1993 or ‘94,” Veal said. “George Huggins and I were sitting at Denny’s one night and just decided to do something.”

Veal and Huggins wanted to start something that could give back to the people of Texarkana. They also want to have some fun at the same time. They are both sports guys and knew people would be more willing to help them.

“So we thought, let’s play a football and a softball game and do that throughout the year,” Veal said. “And let’s gather up some money so we can help out the kids that we knew needed things.”

After raising the money, they saw inspiration and partnered with the Marines Corps for the “Toys for Tots” campaign. Later, police started their event and called it Shop with a Cop. Officers and firefighters from local police and fire departments now participate in what is now known as Shop with a Cop & Firefighter.

“I can tell you, as a [police] force, all the police officers at TISD that I know are just elated,” Veal said. “I think that they want to be as involved as they can.”

For people of all ages, participating in Shop with a Cop & Firefighter can lead to new friendships, rekindling with people they knew previously, and bringing a lot of joy to the children.

“I’ve had a couple of years where I met the same kids at Shop with a Cop again,” Veal said. “There’s been some times where I’ve helped the same kids and kids that were in the school districts that I have worked in, like TISD.”

Another TISD police officer, Jeffrey Johnston’s experience with the event, started in 2001.

“There’s a lot of people out there that don’t have the money to buy gifts for their kids,” Johnston said. “It feels good to take them in there with a handful of cash and go shopping to get what they want.”

Long-time event volunteer Shawn Vaughn, the Texarkana Texas Police Department public information officer, witnessed the kindness and spirit of giving that children bring to the Christmas season.  

“I was talking just a few minutes ago to a young man, and I was asking what all he got, and he was explaining to me that he had actually gotten a scooter for his sister,” Vaughn said. “The spirit of a kid, the spirit of Christmas, has to do with giving, and this kid showed that he understood that it’s more about giving than receiving.”

Shop with a Cop & Firefighter brings Christmas to children in need and helps to improve their lives.

“’I’ve talked to people who are now adults that were participants at Shop with a Cop when they were a kid, and they tell me how that impacted their life and the decisions they were making while growing up,” Vaughn said. “It all was a positive thing.”

Kevin Schutte, Chief of Police at the Texarkana Texas Police Department, feels that the children rarely see them as anything other than the authorities.

“When police are called to intervene, it’s a tragic situation, and they don’t always get to see us in the best light,” Schutte said. “This gives us an opportunity to put a real face and personality on who we are, the care and love that we have for the community, especially for our kids.”

When the event started in the early 1990s, police officers and firefighters played a flag football game called the Pig Bowl to raise money for the shopping experience. Police officers can pay $100 to grow their beards in November and December. Citizens and businesses also help offset the cost through monetary donations.

“It was about $18,000 for us to put this on, and it took a lot of fundraising,” Vaughn said. “I think it’s totally a worthwhile investment in these kids and their future and the future of this community.”