Kids get to Shop With A Cop

Some local children got to hang out with some of Tulsa's finest Saturday.<br><br>Twenty kids from Clinton Elementary School got to "Shop with a Cop".<br><br>Tulsa police officers met with at-risk kids

Sunday, December 15th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Some local children got to hang out with some of Tulsa's finest Saturday.

Twenty kids from Clinton Elementary School got to "Shop with a Cop".

Tulsa police officers met with at-risk kids to shop for the holidays and hopefully make a difference in their lives.

News on Six Reporter Patrina Adger talked to Tulsa Police officer Tracee Ellison and 10 year old Tracee Ellison as they were picking out Christmas gifts for his family and a little something for himself.

Tracee's a 5th grader at Celia Clinton Elementary, makes A' & B's, loves math and has dreams of becoming a doctor.
While Tracee says he's never been in trouble with the police before, he admits he's been in trouble at school.

That's where Corporal Stephen Boyes steps in. Boyes is participating in the first ever "Shop with a Cop "Program.

His hope is to step in and show Tracee the positive ways of life before the negative has a chance of intervening.

"If they have been involved in any kind of problem or maybe they're thinking about it maybe this will help them think twice about it."

Each child gets a hundred dollars to shop for their family for Christmas. The goal of the Shop with a Cop program is for a police officer to meet with an at-risk child in hopes of becoming a positive role model.

Tulsa Police Department Corporal Stephen Boyes says, "By us walking around with them and shopping and helping them find things they don't look at us as the bad guy that way."

Afterwards, Boyes helped Tracee wrap the gifts he picked out. Tracee says he enjoyed his time with the police officer and doesn't see him as a scary guy anymore.

"They're cool ... they're tight ...they take good care of us...."

And Boyes says he hopes to hear Tracee's name in the future as Dr. Tracee Ellison.

The Fraternal Order of Police, the Rotary Club pitched in $1,000 for kids to shop and Wal-Mart provided free wrapping.

They all hope to participate in the program again next year.