Police officers ‘get to see the joy of Christmas’

Way before most of these children typically are out of bed on a Saturday morning, they eagerly walked into the Middletown Meijer looking forward to receiving Christmas gifts.

The Mike Davis Shop with a Cop program, started about 30 years ago by the Middletown Division of Police, was recently held and about 75 children from 25 families each received $100 worth of gifts.

Butler County school counselors forwarded names of potential children who could use some financial assistance this holiday season, said Denny Jordan, president of the Fraternal Order of Police.

The biggest financial supporter was Meijer, which donated $5,000 to the Mike Davis Shop with a Cop program, named in honor of the former Middletown school resource officer who died in 2013.

Other donors included Christ United Methodist Church, Mark’s Towing, Homemaker’s Circle, Gary Hoff, Dietz’s Towing, and Middletown Eagles No. 528, organizers said.

About 20 Middletown officers, many of them with less than three years of service, volunteered to participate in the program, said Police Chief Earl Nelson.

Not only did the children leave Meijer with a cart full of gifts, Nelson hopes the event changed their perspective of police officers.

“It’s not always about enforcement,” Nelson said. “It is about helping people and that’s what our officers do. A lot of our calls are about helping people in need.”

Jordan, who helped organize the event with Mary Miller, secretary of the detective section, said the day was about the officers giving back to the community they serve. He hopes the program provides the kids a different view of police officers.

“Most of the time it’s negative,” Jordan said of the public’s interaction with law enforcement. “Today, it’s a positive outreach for the police department toward the community. The next time they see us they will come up and wave and say hi.”

Officer Justin Bemis, 23, who just completed his first year on the force, agreed.

“It’s always good to have an interaction when it doesn’t involve somebody getting in trouble or somebody thinking we’re bad,” he said. “This is about putting a smile on their face and serving the community. It establishes a little easier relationship. The next time they see us they don’t think, ‘Somebody is in trouble.’”

As Luke Wilburn, 8, pushed the shopping cart through the toy section, Bemis seemed just as thrilled.

“You get to see the joy of Christmas,” he said.

Luke’s grandmother, Rachel Cobb, said the event provides financial assistance around the holidays.

“It means he gets a Christmas,” she said. “That simple. It’s definitely about the kids.”