Information from a provided press release
The City of Batavia Police Department, Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, and the LeRoy Police Department participated in the 11th annual “Shop with a Cop” event on Saturday morning at the Batavia Walmart located at 4133 Veterans Memorial Drive.
For those not familiar with the event, local children are selected with the help of School Resource Officers and school officials from each school in Genesee County. Children were provided funds and their own personal Police Officer/Deputy to accompany them on a Christmas shopping trip at our local Walmart.
City of Batavia Police Department
The City of Batavia Police Department had 13 officers participate, helping 18 kids go shopping. The Sheriff’s Department had 18 members take 21 kids shopping.
Genesee County Sheriff’s Department
Le Roy Police Department
Le Roy Police had four members assisting a family with two children. SRO Ancker says the department will go shopping for other kids who could not make it today and deliver their gifts on Friday.
VIDEO-Santa’s arrival at Shop with a Cop at Walmart in Batavia on Saturday morning
Walmart graciously hosts and staffs the event. Walmart also provides funding and goody bags for each child. Grant money from Walmart is a major contributor for each agency. Batavia PD received donations from The City of Batavia Police Benevolent Association, City of Batavia Civil Employee’s Association (CSEA), the City’s “Jeans for Friday” program, the Genesee County Charity Riders, Howard Owens at The Batavian and the Radley family.
The Genesee County Sheriff’s Employee Association’s involvement was made possible due to generous donation by local businesses and community members. The Sheriff’s Office also received many donations in the memory of Sgt. Thomas Sanfratello. The LeRoy Police Department Benevolent Association also sponsors several children.
All the participating agencies want to thank everyone especially during this time of the year, as it is an event that we are grateful to be able to participate in and provide for our community. In the past, community members/businesses have inquired about how to donate to the cause.
Donations can be brought to 31 Bank St. Batavia N.Y. (the new police station) (Attn: Detective DeFreze), 165 Park Rd. Batavia N.Y. (Attn: Deputy Blankenberg), or 3 W. Main St, LeRoy, NY 14482 (Attn. SRO Ancker). Donations can also be mailed to P.O. Box 299 Batavia, N.Y. 14020 (Batavia PD) or P.O. Box 249 Batavia, N.Y. 14020 (Genesee County Sheriff’s Office). Donations will allow more children to participate, to potentially increase the amount each child is provided, and to lessen other costs associated with the event. Any excess funds will be designated for the following years event. There were sufficient funds to cover this year’s event. We graciously ask that you keep us in mind next year!
Sourced via CRIMEWATCH®: https://crimewatch.net/us/ny/genesee/batavia-pd/138661/post/shop-cop-2025
