'Heroes & Helpers' Pairs Cops With Students For Holiday Shopping Trip
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – It's a shopping trip most kids don't get to do—going in and out of the isles of Target, picking out holiday gifts with the help of a uniformed police officer.
The Miami-Dade Police Department, Midwest District and Target, in Westchester, hosted the "Heroes & Helpers" event which is set-up to help some students from Banyan and Emerson Elementary purchase gifts for the holidays.
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The students given the gift cards, donated by Target, were chosen because they are in-need, or as a reward for their academic success.
Jada, 7, was paired with Miami-Dade Officer Jose Trujillo.
"Jada decided to get her little sister a present along with getting herself some presents so she's also in the spirit of sharing," said Officer Trujillo.
The officers helped the students find toys—even aided in price-checking to make sure their money went a long way.
All the officers involved in the event patrol the area. They said it's extra special to be able to help the kids--it's an opportunity for the students to see police officers in a positive light.
"So it's more of a one-on-one instead of just watching that police car drive-by or that police car showing up when unfortunately things go wrong," Officer Trujillo said. "Now she sees the police car show up for something positive."
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