Deputies, teens bond during shopping spree

Law enforcement officials spent Sunday with Putnam County teenagers during an annual event where the youngsters can buy gifts for themselves and others.

Shop with a Deputy took place Sunday and saw Putnam County Sheriff’s Office employees and children shopping at Walmart for clothes, gaming equipment and athletic wear, among other items.

Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Allison Waters-Merritt said one thing she hears the most is how there aren’t any gifts specifically for teenagers during holiday toy drives. Waters-Merritt said people find it more difficult to buy gifts for teenagers.

“But at the end of the day, everywhere needs something for teens,” she said. “Every organization needs something for teens, whether it’s just little toys from Hot Topic, you know, just anything (like) perfume, toiletries.”

Seventeen teenagers, the most participants the agency has had in Shop with a Deputy, went shopping Sunday at Walmart, Waters-Merritt said. When the event started in 2019, she said, only six teens participated.

The sheriff’s office receives donations from numerous donors to pay for the shopping spree. The agency locates teens in need through county programs or by talking to school leaders, Waters-Merritt said.

Nine deputies volunteered to spend four hours accompanying the teens, who each picked out $200 worth of gifts at the store. Waters-Merritt said many of the kids bought clothes, underwear or gifts for their family members.

Col. Joe Wells spent the day with a teenager who plays basketball at Palatka Junior-Senior High School. The child geared his shopping toward his athletic pursuits, buying new socks, compression T-shirts and sports gear for the new year, Wells said.

However, after the colonel convinced the youngster to spend a little money on a luxury item for himself, the teen bought a new PlayStation controller.

Wells said Shop with a Deputy is a rewarding experience for him and all deputies who participate.

“It’s actually something that I look forward to,” he said.

It’s eye-opening, Wells said, how not every teen prioritizes buying gifts for others before they will purchase something for themselves. Another young adult who participated Sunday first decided to get a new microwave for their household because they knew it was needed, Wells added.

At the end of the shopping trip, all the teenagers and deputies ate at Pizza Hut in Palatka. Waters-Merritt said it’s a way for the youth to bond and have positive interactions with law enforcement officers because they may have already had negative run-ins with law enforcement.

“We want to kind of change those perceptions,” she said.