Dec. 8—On Sunday, 86 officers from the Albuquerque Police Department, Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office, New Mexico State Police and the Office of the Medical Examiner joined 86 kids at Main Event Albuquerque for a day of fun during the annual “Cops for Kids” event.
Held by the Albuquerque Police Department and Metro Crime Stoppers, the event pairs underprivileged children with police officers, who spend the day playing and shopping together. The officers and children spent their morning playing arcade games, laser tag, and bowling at Main Event.
Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus also surprised the children at Main Event, landing in an Albuquerque Police Department helicopter in the parking lot. After they had their fun at Main Event, the officers loaded kids up in their squad cars and drove to the Walmart at 8000 Academy NE.
Alicia Hernandez, a Metro Crime Stoppers coordinator, spent most of her year preparing and fundraising for this event. “I’m stressed out planning this event, but seeing the kids happy makes it all worth it in the end,” she said.
Arriving in a row of police cars and blaring their sirens, the kids and their respective officers were given a $100 Walmart gift card, a shopping cart, and free reign to buy whatever they wanted.
All gift cards were paid for by donations to Metro Crime Stoppers.
Nevan Martinez, 12, was darting from department to department at Walmart . He was in the clothes section one moment and the toys area the next. Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Thomas Salgado was in hot pursuit .
“He’s on a mission right now,” Salgado said. “He wants a bit of clothing, a little bit of sports stuff, and he also wants to get something for his dad.”. After some deliberation between the two, Martinez settled on buying some slippers for his dad, Matthew, whose old pair had recently broken.
“(My dad) is always getting us what we want, and all these years, I’ve never given him anything for Christmas, so this year, I wanted to give him something,” Nevan Martinez said.
This theme of the kids spending their gift cards on items for their family members was common on Sunday. In the electronics department, Jamarcus Velez, 11, was stacking his shopping cart full of gifts, which included a blanket and a necklace, for his mother.
When asked why he was only shopping for his family and not himself, Velez said, “Because I love them.”
Hernandez said this selfless nature is pretty standard at every year’s event. “They shop for their siblings and their mom and spend their gift cards on other people,” she said. “This might be the only Christmas (these kids) get, but they’re not selfish.”
However, the impact of the day’s events is not just limited to the children and their families. The police officers who also participated were just as moved by the event’s effect on the children and the greater community.
“I love community engagement events, especially this one,” Andrea Padilla, a police officer with APD, said. “Just seeing the kids’ faces light up when we play games with them and when we bring them to the store is a wonderful experience.”