Officers shop with kids to bridge divide

The Christmas season is a good time to have a second childhood.

Local law enforcement officers got a break from the sometimes deadly serious responsibilities of their profession and had a chance to become a kid again Saturday in the aisles of Kmart — even if it was vicariously.

A dozen police officers accompanied disadvantaged children through the toy section early Saturday morning for the annual Shop With A Cop event. With $35 gift cards from Kmart to spend, many of the 40 children made beelines for the item they wanted. After that, they could relax and just shop to fill whatever amount was left on the card.

Officers handled remote-controlled helicopters, plastic swords and model cars, made suggestions and talked about their own favorites. It was impossible not to get into the spirit.

“We’re looking at everything from princesses to nurse guns,” said Lt. Nancy Haitsuka, who has taken children Christmas shopping through Shop With A Cop for many years.

“It’s for the kids,” she said. “They get happy doing this.”

Nic Bowman, 12, of Kailua-Kona, picked out a blue Neptune-X remote-controlled helicopter.

“I used to have one helicopter, but for some reason it stopped working even though I took good care of it,” he said.

Community Policing Officer Scott Dewey used a cellphone calculator to help a 9-year-old boy named Akilah keep track of his budget.

“Might as well do it smart. You have $25 left,” he told Akilah, whose last name is not being published because he is under the auspices of Child Welfare Services.

But Akilah was on a path to exceed that budget as the two left the toy section with a football and found hightop athletic shoes.

“They’re buy one, get one for a buck. I said, just do it,” Dewey said.

He then helped Akilah fit a black backpack with neon green lines.

“Is it gonna stay on? You like the neon colors, I see,” he said, catching a high-five from the boy.

“Okay, we got it,” he said. “Let’s go.”

At the register, officers were happy to open their own wallets to supplement the gift cards.

The event helped kids have a lighter, more fun experience of a police force which they sometimes associate with jail and their own families’ experiences of violence and pain.

“It’s a nice thing,” said Kmart store manager Robert O’Meara. “Sometimes the only time they see these guys in blue is when bad things are going on.”

Children from as far away as Ocean View were also treated to breakfast at Little Caesars, photos with Santa and milk and juice drinks from Meadow Gold and Paradise Beverages. The gift cards are sponsored by Coca Cola and Pepsi.

The event is put on by Catholic Charities Hawaii, which selects needy children from foster care, transitional housing and disadvantaged homes.

“A lot of these officers are off-duty, so they’re donating their time,” said Catholic Charities Hawaii program director Erin Basque. “It’s a great thing that Kmart does this every year.”

Prior to the line-up to shop with the officers, Ebby Gleason of Kailua-Kona stood waiting in front of the store with five grandchildren. Her daughter was in a car accident last July that left her with brain injuries. The woman is in Honolulu, trying to recover.

“This has been a traumatizing year for them,” she said of the children. “We’re trying to get her home for Christmas, but she is blind, and we’re all living in a studio and have had a hard time finding housing. As soon as they hear five kids, they shut me down every time.”

“When Catholic Charities told us about this, we thought it would be good for them.”