Park City kids join officers for a special holiday shopping trip

Park City kids joined in on the annual Shop With A Cop to make their seasons bright. Photo: Kris Olsen.

PARK CITY, Utah — On Saturday, children in Park City were given the opportunity to start their holiday spirit by participating in the annual event, Shop with a Cop.

Members of the Park City Police Department and six other law enforcement agencies engaged with families as they had breakfast at the Double Tree Hotel “bright and early,” as thankful parent Lori Olsen put it.

Her son Rhett, who is in the Special Education Department of the Park City School District, gladly got there at 7 a.m. to meet Santa, who gave 123 children $200 each to spend at Walmart.

After breakfast wrapped up, the children rode in squad cars, with lights and sirens, slowly parading the approximate five miles down S.R. 224.

“Rhett loved playing with and hearing all the sirens,” Olsen told TownLift.

Sometimes hand-in-hand, the officers pushed carts down the store aisles, asking what the VIP shoppers wanted. 

All the money was donated and all the escorting was volunteer. They had their gifts wrapped and were done before the store opened to the public.

There were some kids that just bought food, and Kris Olsen, Rhett’s dad, saw one little girl get a bike. For the most part, however, toys for themselves and gift for their families were the name of the game.

Ask An Officer: What’s it like serving the Park City community?