S. Fla. Children Shop With A Cop For The Holidays
MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Children filled Miami's Midtown Target Thursday for an early Christmas of sorts while Miami police officers got an education in 2013's top toys.
"I never heard of this and never seen this." Officer Moise Joseph said as held up a box full of brightly covered disks. When asked what it does he guessed, "He tells me it flips up in the air and it spins around." He, 8-year-old Damien quickly interjected "No it just spins and you can change, and you can change the liquid, the parts."
Officer Moise Joseph was clearly a fish out of water.
"I have two daughters," he explained. "I have no boys."
Each officer was pared up with a child and given a $100 gift card courtesy of Target to spend as they would like.
Target's Daniel Perez explained Shop With A Cop is national initiative they roll out annually. The children are selected to participate.
"A lot of these kids are children from areas where they might not have the privilege to have Christmas toys. So they come out here and they get to see another side of law enforcement. They get to meet them personally and get to know them by name," said Perez.
Commander Jose Rodriguez, who really got into the spirit of the event, believes the interaction has long-lasting effects.
"A lot of times we encounter the public in the wrong way. So it's always nice to see us in a different light," said Rodriguez.
The kids certainly took advantage. The group of more than 40 picked up bikes, Iron Man, trains, and cars.
Officers could be seen trying to keep tabs on it all.
"You got to have patience. They change their minds quickly," explained Officer Joseph.
At checkout something magical happened as well.
One hundred dollars didn't always cover the tab. Officers didn't hesitate to reach into their own pocket to make Christmas that much better.
Commander Windsor Lozano said it's the right thing to do.
"We should always find in our hearts to do something for them," said Lozano. "It doesn't have to mean giving them something, but there is always something we can do for people."
