Othello PD, ACSO play Santa

OTHELLO — Even when kids have a shopping buddy - courtesy of the Othello Police Department and Adams County Sheriff’s Office - that Christmas shopping thing is tough.

Jesus Caramillo has a big family, and he had a budget. It was a pretty healthy budget.

Caramillo was part of OPD’s annual Shop With a Cop day, and OPD Assistant Chief David Rehaume said the community was very generous in 2022.

“We were very fortunate to have a lot of people that helped out,” Rehaume said.

But it was a budget nevertheless. Camarillo made a tentative decision on a gift his brothers and sisters all would like, but he had to assess its impact on his budget. He stood with a package in either hand, calculating which option would give him the most return for his money.

“He’s doing his math,” said his shopping buddy, OPD officer Martin Garza. “I love it.”

But he still had a lot of shopping to do, more presents for his brothers and sisters, as well as Mom and Dad, and his grandma.

“How are we doing?” asked OPD Officer Tyson Cox, as Garza and Camarillo scoped out one of the toy aisles.

“Struggling,” Garza said.

Riley Sams also had a list.

“I’m shopping for my whole family,” he said.

That included his mom and dad, and his mom had given him some options. Sams told his shopping buddy, ACSO deputy Jesus Montes, that his mom’s suggestions made it easy.

Well, maybe. Once they got to the right aisle, there were a whole lot of options. Finally Sams turned to Montes.

“Should I get that?” he asked. But Montes wasn’t sure.

“You know your Mom best,” Montes said.

Meanwhile, Sams found another option.

“You’re making this hard, buddy,” Montes said.

Justin Osorio and Rehaume, his shopping buddy, worked their way through Osorio's extensive list.

“First my brother, then my sister, then my mom, and - I forgot,” Osorio said.

“Your aunt,” Rehaume prompted.

“Oh, yeah, my aunt, my uncle, and then me,” Osorio said.

For himself he was looking at a new coat, carefully assessing the fit, looking for one that would last a while. Rehaume assured him the coat fit pretty well, and with all his other presents purchased, he had just enough money left.

Montes said Shop With a Cop is a way to get involved, and do something for the community.

“It’s all about the kids. Seeing the smiles on their faces,” Cox said.

“The majority of the officers are here on their own time,” Rehaume said.

“It’s a little bit of a learning experience,” Cox said; the children have to balance their budgets and figure out how to get the best value.

Othello Chief Phil Schenck said in an earlier interview that the children are the stars of the show on Shop With a Cop day, so they arrived in style, in a caravan of law enforcement vehicles with lights flashing and sirens wailing. The Walmart staff greeted them with applause. Shoppers and shopping buddies assembled for a pizza lunch prior to the trip to the store, and went back to the OPD office to wrap their purchases afterward.

“We’re here to have a good time,” Rehaume said.

Cheryl Schweizer may be reached at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.