200 students team up with APD officers for annual 'Shop With a Cop'

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Hundreds of Austin children and police officers took over Target locations on Friday and Monday for the annual "Shop With a Cop" program.

Amigos en Azul partnered with the Austin Police Department for the annual event, sending 200 students from seven Austin Independent School District elementary schools and children from APD's Police Activities League (PAL) program to two Target locations.

Each kid was paired with an officer and got to spend $150 shopping for themselves or their families ahead of the holidays.

Amigos en Azul, or "Friends in Blue," was founded by a handful of APD officers in 1982 with the mission of "building a bridge between the Hispanic community and the Austin Police Department," according to a press release from APD.

The nonprofit started the "Shop With a Cop" program in 2006 and hosts it each year, in hopes of creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere where young students can connect with officers, helping reinforce the message that police officers are “amigos” who care about the community.