From the North Carolina League of Municipalities, this is Municipal Equation, a podcast about cities and towns. Hello, and thank you for joining us. We are gonna talk about something a little bit more heartwarming. This time, coincidentally, on our one hundredth episode of Municipal Equation. This is episode 100. You know our style. We look for interesting conversations within the space of municipalities. Not necessarily the top headlines of the day, but things, you know, happening in our cities and towns that we can zoom in on and and talk to the people involved to to see what we can learn. Maybe your town has an initiative or an idea that could be duplicated or adapted to other towns, or maybe you're in the market for new ideas. So this is one that's gonna focus on something that a number of local governments do in one way or another during the holiday season. Specifically, we're gonna talk with our friends in Davidson, North Carolina. That's something called shop with a cop. Maybe you've heard of it, shop with a cop. And if I say that in the context of the holiday season, then you probably have the basic idea of what it is, what shop with a cop is. But it's an interesting conversation about why it is and the details of how it works and how it does help the community with meaningful ripple effects. This program that pairs police officers and kids from the community to go on a shopping trip together, it's all covered for the kids involved. And while we always know the general conversation out there about, you know, tension and the struggles with trust, I guess you could say between people and their government or their police department, this initiative is one that speaks to how we're all in this together. It's a nice reminder as we break for Thanksgiving and cross the Black Friday threshold into the end of your holiday feelings and reflections and traditions. So let's, let's talk about how this program works at Davidson, North Carolina at the Davidson Police Department. And stick around after, the interview's over because we've got some feedback from one of our most recent episodes highlighting this expansive role of arguably the the most essential job in government, that of clerk. So we've got some great feedback and comments on that on our last episode about clerks. And I'll catch you up on that right after this conversation with Davidson, North Carolina and Shop with a Cop. Okay. Well, we are joined now by, David Andress. He's the community engagement officer for the Davidson Police Department. David, thank you so much for coming on the podcast today. Yes, sir. Thank you for having me. I appreciate being here. Well, let's, let's set a scene real quick. Could could you tell us about Davidson? Maybe just a little description of the town, its population, points of interest, just, you know, bring us up to speed on Davidson, North Carolina, if you could. Sure. Davidson, North Carolina is a great community oriented town.

Nice. And and, you know, that that's that's a that's a two way street, the that that sense of support. And you guys are doing something I've seen some other towns do. It's it's, you know, it's a heartwarming and community minded concept, something called shop with a cop, which essentially, I I guess, is a is a way of making sure as much as you can that all kids in your community feel included in the holiday season. But I'm guessing it maybe it functions in different ways in different communities in terms of how it's done, how it's carried out, how you raise support for it, and so on. So for for Davidson, yeah, what what are some of those basic points of shop with a cop? What is it? So for many years, we actually were participating

And you you said that this is something you pivoted to last year, was it?

Okay. Yeah. I I I wanna get into more detail about that. And, I I I guess, you know, just kinda wondering how it how it works and how that, engagement, begins. You know? Do do the kids, I guess, the kids and families who benefit from this, how do they learn about it? Do you work with media partners, drive time radio, civic groups, churches? Like, how do you reach the people you're trying to reach? So the media so far has been, on our town's Facebook and Instagram page.

So, let's just say, hypothetically, my family learns about this opportunity. We feel this is something that could really give our kids a great giving season. I I think you said there's, like, an online portal where you apply. Are are there eligibility criteria, anything like that? Or There are. So we're trying to reach kids that either have parents that are,

And and so, this is something I I I think you used the word donations earlier. Is this something you raise money for, or is it, like, you know, physical donations of some kind, or do you encourage local businesses to get on board? How do you fuel the initiative? So, really, one of the first fundraising events, took place at our community connections meeting where I let all the small business owners own let all the small business owners know that we're accepting donations for this cause. So it it is all financial donations.

Okay. So the the day comes, my child is, I I guess, paired up with a police officer and we go shopping, or what's the experience like? And and I guess I'm wondering that not just from the the child's perspective, but also the police officer. Like, what what did they come away with, within this? Yeah. So the best part is

That's that's cool. So when they they are actually shopping and you mentioned maybe some excitement for certain kinds of maybe I mean, are are is toys, clothes, school supplies? I mean, kind of what's in the the ballpark for this? All of the above. And I think one of the best parts is leaving it up to them to decide if they're gonna be buying candy or food or athletic equipment. And it

Is is this, are are there conversations that the officers are having with the the kids as they go or they're you know, is that something you prepare for? Is it more organic? Or how does that tend to go? Absolutely. It's,

Yeah. So so that has me wondering about ripple effects from something like this. I mean, you know, it it can be hard to quantify what it means to give an individual child a great Christmas or maybe any general feeling of love and support, but, you know, you've got that that element. That on its own can go a a long way in a good direction. But for the police department and local government overall, I mean, you know, it's no secret there can be pessimism about government, about local law enforcement, about that relationship, tension. We're always trying to think of ways to communicate with sincerity and show the community that, you know, indeed, we're all in this together.

I mean, that that that seems like the kind of thing that could inspire. I mean, you know, we have these memories, these little, like, you know, clinch moments when we're young where we kinda realize something or learn something or have, you know, some sort of shared experience with somebody else who may come from, like, a different walk of life, different profession, just something that kinda gets our eyes open to to something. I mean, it it just seems like that could, you know maybe maybe one of the takeaways could be, you know, it it makes a a a child wanna be a police officer or something or appreciate a police officer. But but but also just setting that tone. I mean, even if there's not such a profound immediate takeaway, just setting that tone and having that be something that maybe the community could look forward to for next year or I mean, it just seems like something like this could grow and more businesses could, you know, kinda come in, and it becomes just more of a thing that the community celebrates together. And the the police are a, you know, major character in that. I mean, that the the those ripple effects, you know, just seem like they could just go and go and go,

That's really great. I I really appreciate you explaining this. Because because, like I said at the top, there are other communities that do similar things, but they might have their own style or their own way of doing it. And there may be communities out there that are, maybe curious about doing something like this. And, you know, where where do we start? Is there a good template out there? So really appreciate you sharing yours, with us,

Thank you so much for your time with us on this episode, and thank you, of course, to David Andress and the Davidson Police Department for their efforts this season and for similar efforts that other communities around the state are involved in. If you have any thoughts or ideas or observations or any other kinds of feedback here, please reach out to me. I'd love to hear what's on your mind. My name is Ben Brown. You can go to the website of the North Carolina League of Municipalities. That's nclm.org. You can type in my name. You can search the directory, and you'll be able to reach out to me and share your thoughts. And I can read them on the next episode if you want. Same thing. If you have any ideas for future episodes, maybe something you you think fits our format here of conversations in the space of municipal government, please reach out. Love your ideas. Speaking of, so our last episode, episode 99, that was all about municipal clerks and their professional lives behind the scenes. So many areas of responsibility and connection to pretty much, you know, all that goes on within government and, generally speaking, being the one job that law requires cities and towns to have on the payroll. You know, whether you're Charlotte or you're one of our communities with smaller populations. Speaking of small towns, one clerk I heard from after that episode aired heard from many of you. But I want to read this one note here. This is from Brandy Strange of the city of High Shoals, North Carolina. That's a that's a municipality in Gaston County. About 600 people live there in High Shoals. Brandy Strange is the clerk. She says this. Hi there. I really enjoyed episode 99 and want to share a thought that might help expand the conversation around clerk duties. It may be valuable to include input from those of us working in smaller municipalities. For example, my city operates under a mayor council form of government, and I'm the only staff member in city hall. In my role, I handle everything from clerk responsibilities and utility billing, collecting payments, to HR, IT, finance, purchasing, and organizing community events. I also manage ordinances, resolutions, grants, the cemetery, and coordinate with our grounds crew as well as keeping the city's website up to date, the city's sign updated. While I attend conferences, city hall has to close, and I often need to step out of sessions to address issues back home. It's a very different experience compared to larger cities with separate departments and staff. The lady from the MAPS group mentioned that I might actually be the only person in North Carolina working completely alone in a municipality, though some others have very small towns. It'd be great to see future discussions or episodes that touch on the unique challenges faced by clerks in small towns. Our roles tend to be broad and demanding, and hearing perspectives from this side could really help others understand the diversity of clerk experiences across the state. Thank you so much for all you do to support clerks and local government staff, end quote. That's from Brandy Strange, the clerk from High Shoals, North Carolina. Brandy, thank you so much for your comment and making sure we keep our perspective accurate when it comes to not only the role of clerk, but also the the myriad and creative ways that small town city hall employees keep things going. And in this case, that's very much the power and effect of the city clerk. If you missed that episode, that was episode 99 of this podcast, Municipal Equation, where we went out on the road to the annual conference of the NC Association of Municipal Clerks to chat with different professionals in the field about what's on their plate and how unique this one essential local government job can be beyond what we might typically think or assume. Happy Thanksgiving, everybody. Please keep in touch with your thoughts and ideas. We'll talk to you next time. I'm Ben Brown.