shop with a cop.

Country Inn Mt. Orab
December 19, 2017 ·

Fifty police cars, lights flashing and sirens wailing, filled the parking lot at the Country Inn Restaurant in Mt. Orab early Tuesday morning.
The occasion was the seventh annual Brown County Shop with a Cop event, and the 50 police officers from 13 different law enforcement agencies from Brown and Highland counties were bringing students from around the county to breakfast.
The Shop with a Cop program pairs students from around the county who are in less fortunate circumstances with a local police officer. The police officer and the student, along with a chaperone, spend the day together shopping for Christmas presents and enjoying a variety of activities.
The Brown County Shop with a Cop program was started in 2011 by Mt. Orab police officer Mike Dearing, who was then with the Sardinia Police Department.
Dearing said that when he was nine years old, he was selected to participate in a Shop with a Cop program, and it changed his life.
“From that day forward I knew that I wanted to be in law enforcement,” Dearing said. “I know this program works and can be really beneficial. If it hadn't been for that day when I was nine, I might not be on this side of the badge.”
The students, who were selected to participate in the program by their school administrators, began their day with a procession in police cars from the police department to the Country Inn. After breakfast, the procession continued to the Hillsboro Walmart, where each child received $500 to spend on himself or herself for Christmas.
After shopping, the students were treated to lunch at Dakota Steakhouse and video games and a movie at Star Cinemas in Hillsboro.
The next stop was the Georgetown Church of Christ, where everyone enjoyed a dinner provided by La Rosas, and the police officers and volunteers wrapped the presents, which will be delivered to the children on Christmas.
Kroger donates a Christmas dinner for the families of the participants in the program.
Country Inn manager Amanda Hensley said that the restaurant participates in the program because it is a really great experience for the students.
“Obviously, this is really wonderful for these kids,” Hensley said.
Hensley said that the restaurant donates the food for the breakfast, and that she and the servers donate their time to the event.
This year, the restaurant's servers purchased enough candy and treats to put together gift bags for every children at the breakfast.
Patrolman Dearing said that he has seen the profound effects the program can have on the children.
He said that the program humanizes the police in the eyes of the children, who may have previously only seen them in a negative light.
He said that one year when he went to pick up a boy to go shopping, the boy initially refused to go with him. But when he dropped him back at home at the end of the day, he wanted to know when Dearing would be back to see him again.
In addition to the businesses that directly contributed to the success of the day, many businesses and individuals across the county contribute to the program, and every police department in the county was represented.