Monday, Dec. 6, 1999 | 9:06 a.m.
At 7 a.m. Saturday 30 North Las Vegas police officers swarmed the Kmart at 2671 Las Vegas Blvd. North in full uniform with sirens wailing.
And Santa Claus was there, too.
Thirty North Las Vegas children joined the officers for the annual Shop with a Cop event held at the Kmart for a few hours of holiday fun, music and St. Nick and his elf -- Sgt. Howard Wickert and wife, Joanne.
The event was a way to give Christmas to underprivileged children who may not otherwise have had much of a holiday. The children were eager to be teamed up with an officer, quick to yell, "I pick him," and begin their walk together through Kmart with a shopping cart and a $125 gift certificate.
Victoria Vanhorn, 12, loaded up her shopping cart alongside Officer Alex Perez with TeleTubby Laa-Laa, Power Rangers and a Big Wheel -- all for her three younger brothers. She told Perez she wanted to make sure her brothers enjoyed Christmas and picked out only a few gifts for herself.
Perez, an officer for nine years, was shopping with a child for his fourth year. Every year, he said, he comes back for the same reason -- to see the look in the children's faces.
"It's a chance to give back a little bit," he said. "Instead of kids seeing us in professional contact, they get to see we're human, too. And we love Christmas."
For more than 15 years the North Las Vegas Police Department has canvassed local businesses and private citizens during Christmas for money to go toward the program. All the money raised was divided among the 30 children, resulting in a $125 Kmart shopping spree per child. Kmart donated a holiday bear for each of the children as well as contributing to the gift pool.
Dawn Parrish of the Crime Prevention Division said the children were chosen from the North Las Vegas Housing Authority and Centennial Park Arms, a low-income housing complex.
The officers, all volunteering during their off time, also pitched in their own money when the amount at the cash register exceeded $125.
"For some, this may be their only Christmas," Parrish said.
Lt. Michael Kincaid, who's been with the department 15 years, had two youngsters to shop with: 7-year-old John and 9-year-old Jacqueline Moses. They both went home with brand new Huffy bikes, among other gifts.
"These kids came from underprivileged areas, and to see the smile on their faces and their eyes light up, that's why we're here," Kincaid said. "When you see someone who really enjoys things even though they don't have a lot, it really makes it worth it."
"It really puts a positive impression of the police in the children's minds," John and Jacqueline's mother, Sheila, said. "In low-income parts of town, many children believe the cops are the enemy. An event like this breaks down the hatred."
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