BUFFALO – Mayor Byron W. Brown, Buffalo Police Commissioner Byron C. Lockwood and participating officers of the Buffalo Police Department Neighborhood Engagement Team (BPD NET) hosted a special ‘Holiday Shop with a Cop’ event today for The Jacobsen Family, who lost everything in a devasting house fire, shortly before Thanksgiving Day. Today, the nine Jacobsen children shopped with police officers for holiday gifts for their family. Later this week, on Friday, December 20th, a second ‘Holiday Shop with a Cop’ event will take place with City youth.
“We are the City of Good neighbors and in times of need, our people continue to respond in a big way,” stated Mayor Brown. “I thank the Buffalo Police Department, as well as the generous support of the Erie County District Attorney’s Office and Community Partner Dean Gallagher of “kidseventstickets.com, for raising over $6,000 to ensure that the Jacobsen siblings and other children citywide have a Christmas to remember this holiday season.”
Mayor Brown, Police Commissioner Lockwood and members of the Buffalo Police Neighborhood Engagement Team (NET) took the Jacobsen Family on a holiday shopping spree at Target on Delaware Avenue. On Friday, NET officers will host a second ‘Holiday Shop with a Cop”, taking over a dozen City youth to Walmart in Cheektowaga. The unique holiday experience was developed with the idea of helping children from Buffalo neighborhoods whose families may be facing financial challenges during the holiday season. The initiative also continues Mayor Byron W. Brown’s strong commitment to further build positive relationships between the community and police.
“As we continue to build bridges between our community and our police, we want our children to have positive experiences with law enforcement and that’s just what ‘Shop with a Cop’ is all about,” said Mayor Brown. “I especially thank our participating police officers who volunteered to help make the holiday a little better and brighter for some of our most vulnerable children and their families.”
The two ‘Shop with a Cop’ events were funded entirely through donations from Buffalo Police Officers, as well as the generous support of the Erie County District Attorney’s Office and Community Partner Dean Gallagher of kidseventstickets.com.
