IMPD officers shop with kids during Clothe A Child event
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Forty Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department officers paired up with 40 kids Wednesday to play games, eat breakfast and go shopping.
As part of their annual Clothe A Child event, officers surrounded Hubler Chevrolet and took the kids to JCPenney to buy coats, clothes and shoes. Each child got to spend up to $125.
Evan Coleman, 6, was paired with Officer Michael Mack. The two shopped at JCPenney together and later went shoe shopping, where Coleman spotted Nike tennis shoes. He tried them on and ran up and down the aisle then did a little hopping to make sure they fit perfectly.
By the end of the trip, Coleman and Mack had become friends, and Mack got to teach his new friend more about policing.
“They don’t really know what we do,” Mack said. “They think it’s always just arresting people, and it’s not.”
Shopping pretty much wiped out Coleman — he literally dropped at the end. But, there was still one more surprise waiting for him at Hubler. Santa Claus made a surprise visit with bags full of gifts and, more importantly, created hearts full of joy.
“We just want to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to have a nice Christmas,” Mack said.
IMPD selects the kids based on need. They range in age from 6 to 16.