Community Christmas spirit shown in Shop with a Cop

The Havre Police Department and Hill County Sheriff's Office continued to create a bond with the community children Saturday by showing them a different side to law enforcement this holiday season.

"We're showing the kids that they shouldn't be afraid of us," Police Chief Gabe Matosich said.

Local law enforcement officers helped some children shop for Christmas in the annual Shop with a Cop program.

Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation joined the effort this year, taking children shopping Friday.

First-year Walmart Store Manager Kasey Dietz said that this was the first time he was involved with Shop with a Cop and it was awesome to see all the kids get so excited for the event.

He added that the Havre Walmart has been involved with Shop with a Cop for the past four years, but Friday was the first year that they added the Rocky Boy Tribal Police Department to the program.

Dietz said he specifically remembered a young girl who came in and was excited about a camera she was buying.

"It's an awesome event for the community," Dietz said.

He added that each Walmart interacts with their communities in different ways with different programs with community organizations. The Havre Walmart, he said, receives a $2,000 grant for the program and that each child receives more than $200 to buy their gifts.

"This is all because of the community," Dietz said. "There is not enough thank-you's for that."

Matosich, who was shopping with 7-year-old Jacob Quinell, said that in addition to the Walmart grant the program receives donations from the Havre Police Protective Association as well as the community.

He said one of his favorite parts of the program is taking the kids out shopping and seeing their expressions of excitement when picking out their gifts.

"It's a good relationship builder," Matosich said.

He said the kids were shopping for their families as well as themselves for Christmas.

Quinnell said he was very excited for Christmas and his favorite toy that he found was a Beyblade set.

Havre Police Senior Patrolman Justin Gomke said he has done Shop with a Cop for the past three years. He added that his favorite part of Shop with a Cop was getting to interact with the kids and pick out presents that mean something to them.

"It's a positive experience with law enforcement," Gomke said.

He said it is a great feeling to get to be with the kids over the holidays.

Gomke said this year he was shopping with Neiko Henson, 7. He said he shopped with Henson last year as well and since then they have created a special bond. Gomke said Henson requested to shop with him again this year and he was glad Henson had a positive experience.

"We encounter so many people, and we are there for a short time. Here we get to show them a different side of law enforcement," Gomke said.

Henson said he was having fun and that Gomke was his best friend. He said he enjoys Shop with a Cop and it is really cool to hang out with them. Henson added that he likes Nerf guns.

Henson's mother, Courtney Henson, said her son has cerebral palsy and epilepsy. He also suffered a stroke which caused brain damage, she said, adding that he doesn't get many opportunities to interact.

She said her son was so excited this year for Shop with a Cop that he "jumped out of his bed."

Henson said that they have lived in a lot of different areas but have lived in Havre the longest, adding that it was exciting to see Neiko Henson getting involved in the community.

She said that, with her son's brain damage, it is hard for him to remember people but he remembered Gomke and was excited to go shopping with him again.

She added that her son has been seizure free for a year.

Officer Rachel Cotton and Rana Webber, a driver for North Central Montana Transit, were shopping with Marene Gone, 4, who was excited about a Mickey Mouse toy she was getting for her sister.

Cotton said she loved being able to help the kids pick out what they need to have a good Christmas, "getting to know them on a personal level."

Webber said her favorite part of Shop with a Cop was singing "Jingle Bells" and other Christmas songs on the bus with the kids as they made their way to Walmart.

She added that she also enjoys that Shop with a Cop is a celebration of a community Christmas spirit.

Walmart Assistant Manager Shana Wymore said Friday that one of the store's associates, Lorrie Cofer, donated $170 to the Rocky Boy Shop with a Cop. She added that she gets choked-up thinking about it because it reminds her that good people are still out there.

"It's a very good thing to see the kids smile," she said.

She said many of the kids with the Shop with a Cop program are from low-income families and the program gives the kids a chance to get fun gifts. She likes seeing the kids go around with the officers, she said, and after shopping they go to Pizza Hut together.

It's a fun time, she added.

"Cops aren't the bad guys, they are there to turn to for help," Wymore said.