Lake Villa starts yuletide Shop with Cop program

LAKE VILLA -- The Lake Villa Police Department is starting its own Shop with a Cop program.

Officers will take kids shopping at the new Round Lake Beach Wal-Mart on Dec. 15 after they treat participants to a pizza party and visit from Santa.

"For years we have participated in other departments' Shop with a Cop program. This year we started our own," said Detective Rochelle Tisinai.

The kids and their families will meet at the Lake Villa police station, enjoy the pizza party and visit with Santa, and then ride in the Lake Villa Police Special Response truck to Wal-Mart for shopping.

Lakes Community High School art students will decorate the truck for the shopping event, said Police Chief Ron Roth. "We want to do this right and give the kids a good dose of holiday spirit," he said. "Uniforms that day will include a Santa hat for all my officers."

Tisinai said the program will provide $100 to each of 25 children who otherwise may not receive gifts for Christmas. The children, ages 6 to 13, are recommended by Lake Villa police officers and teachers.

One officer will shop with each family if there is more than one child in a family, but most of the kids will receive exclusive one-on-one time with the officers while they shop, Tisinai said.

Lake Villa's police department has 22 officers.

"I am proud that my officers have started their own program," said Roth, who commended Tisinai for stepping up to organize the program after village officials gave their approval only a month ago.

"Our officers see first hand just how our current economy has made times tough. They see families are suffering and they want to make Christmas brighter for some of these kids who are suffering," Roth said.

"We have almost 100 percent participation in our department," the chief said. "I am impressed how they have pulled this program together so quickly."

Tisinai said it was just a matter of asking for donations and following up on the requests, primarily to area businesses. "We've had a great response from local businesses and our officers and others at Village Hall have made generous donations."

The program is being sponsored by the Lake Villa Police Department and Lake Villa's new Illinois Council of Police union.

Police officers belong to the union, but the program is also getting support from other police department and village staff.

"We are all pretty excited and enthused about this new event," Roth said.