On December 6, 2024 the Round Lake Park Police Department held it’s twenty-eighth annual “Shop with a Cop” program. RLPPD has many people to thank for making this another successful community event.
Chief Daniel Burch and the Round Lake Park Police Department would like to thank the many residents and local businesses that supported the twenty-eighth annual Round Lake Park Police Department “Shop with a Cop” program this holiday season.
The program provides up to $150 in spending money to underprivileged children, giving them an opportunity to accompany a police officer while purchasing Christmas gifts for themselves and loved ones. It’s designed to provide positive encounters with police officers and open lines of communication between the police and youth.
Children were chosen through referrals from local school social workers as well as Avon Township in an effort to help those families most in need. The Round Lake Park program was the first of its kind in Lake County growing each year, starting with 20 children in 1996 to now more than doubled in 2024! The Shop with a Cop program is now sponsored by numerous police departments in Lake County.
This year the children and their families gathered at Murphy Elementary School for a night of food, fun, games, and they enjoyed a $150 shopping spree at Wal-Mart in Round Lake Beach. The children were transported to Wal-Mart by officers from the Round Lake Park Police Department and Lake County Sheriff’s Department Reserve Deputies. They walked through the aisles filling shopping carts with clothing, toys and other necessities.
Helping to make this happen inlcuding but not limited to the following businesses, organizations, families and individuals:
Yeli’s Bakery
Julio’s Mexican Restaurant
Alex’s Mexican Restaurant
Groot Industries – Round Lake Park
Rosati’s Pizza Round Lake (Cedar Lake/Rt 60)
Round Lake Area Exchange Club
Round Lake Park American Legion Post #1170
Walmart – Round Lake Beach
Village of Round Lake Park
W.J. Murphy Elementary School
Student Volunteers –
Omar Castillo, Abraham Gonzalez, Emily Torres, Saher Ather, Zeltzin Zepeda-Solis, Zyanya Zepeda-Solis, Andrea Perez, Miguel Angel Miranda Rendon, Athena Concepcion, Julissa Portilla, Haide Ortiz-Martinez, Jackson Young, Kimberly Trujillo, Katie Smith, Madison Osbahr
Round Lake Area Exchange Club – Joe Prindle
Lake County Sheriff’s Department Reserve Deputies – AD Sgt. Ortloff, AD Sgt. Jones, AD Hernandez, AD Lloyd, AD Rivera, AD Zimmers, AD Schultz, AD Nevarez, AD Ignacio.
Round Lake Park Police Department – Chief Dan Burch, Commander Ala Dynak, Commander Hector Lepe, Eric Corona, Nicolai Fuhrmann, Brittany Fears, Juan Leon, Matt Maculan, Sal Garcia, Anthony Santos, Waymon Vela
Lake Forest Police Department – Analyst Yazmin Gomez
