One of Ardmore’s favorite (and noisiest) Christmas traditions returned this week when Shop with Cops took 180 local children in need on a holiday shopping spree.

The event, sponsored by Heroes with Hope of Southern Oklahoma, has been running for over 30 years. Each child gets approximately $100 to spend on items of their choosing at Walmart, and they are partnered with an area law enforcement officer as they go through the store.

Executive Director Melissa Woolly said the fun begins as soon as the group meets up downtown.

“We do a big caravan to Walmart, and the kids get to ride with the officers in their vehicles and blast the sirens,” she said. “All the kids communicate with each other over the radios, and it’s just a great time for everyone.”

This year’s event took place on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Officers from the Ardmore Police Department, the Carter County Sheriff’s Office, the Dickson Police Department, Lighthorse Police, the Lone Grove Police Department and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol took turns participating on different evenings.

“It’s great to see the relationships these kids are building with law enforcement,” Woolly said. “The only thing some of these kids know about law enforcement can be very negative, so this allows them to see the police in a different light.”

While the official amount given to each child is $100, some exceptions are made.

“For some of these kids, their first choice is clothing, hygiene products or bedding – there’s a big demand for bedding,” Woolly said. “We make sure to get them the clothes, shoes, bedding or whatever products they need but don’t include that in the budget. We want to make sure they can still get some of the things they want too.”