Shop With Cops

Police and Community Working Together In The Frogtown and Summit University Neighborhoods

Saint Paul Police Officer and Target Employee and Mascot

History

The program started in the winter of 2000. The initial idea started with Retired Chief John Harrington, then a Senior Commander with the St Paul Police Department Western District and Arnoldo Curiel, then Coordinator of the Frogtown Weed and Seed initiative. As the program progressed it was joined by the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, District 7 and 8 Planning Councils, West Minnehaha Recreation Center, and various members of the Frogtown and Summit-University communities. From 2000 -2004 the operating support for Shop with Cops came from federal Weed and Seed dollars, a strategy which " weeds" out crime in communities and plant the "seeds" for positive change and development.

Since its original conception, those involved in the planning and implementation have changed somewhat. For example, the Frogtown and Summit-University communities no longer qualify for Weed and Seed funding and therefore no longer cover operating expenses. However various members of the Frogtown and Summit-University communities continue to volunteer to operate Shop with Cops annually. In addition. while the involvement of the St. Paul Police Department has not changed, personnel changes have occurred. Retired Chief John Harrington is no longer involved with the program from an operation standpoint. But Chief Smith, the city's current Police Chief, is in support of this program and its objective in creating positive ties between children and police. Senior Commander Todd Axtell (current Western District Commander) has assumed those duties supplied by the police.

In 2000, its first year in operation over 50 kids and 15 officers were involved. During the 2009 event, Shop with Cops had 213 kids participating and over 107 officers from St Paul Police Department volunteer their time.