During the week of December 13th through the 15th, Liberty High School students and staff will be celebrating school and holiday spirit by wearing ugly sweaters, flannels, and holiday pajamas. For LHS Resource Office, Deputy Christopher Meyer, celebrating the holidays starts with “Shop with a Cop.”

Luckily, LHS students have the opportunity to help Deputy Meyer with their participation in the Holiday Spirit Week. Donations to help the cause will be collected all week long in first block classes. The suggested minimum is $1, but students are encouraged to help as much as possible.

“Shop with a Cop” is to show kids that have a negative viewpoint of law enforcement that the police are not the bad guys. Children whose parents have been arrested from their home can look at law enforcement and think, “You took my mom or dad from me.” 

“Shop with a Cop” tries to help with that. An officer picks up the kid(s) and takes them to Walmart to go Christmas shopping. The younger kids even have breakfast at Fauquier High School  before returning home. It is a way for the kids to build more positive relationships.

Shop with a cop is not put in place for money. It’s sole purpose is to help the children who are having a hard time. It doesn’t matter whether or not the family has money, they are still given the same opportunities within this program. 

After talking with Deputy Meyer, this program seems to be very positive and successful. “Things I have to do are looked at negatively by the public, there is nothing negative about this, people think this is a positive thing, it is always nice to be the hero, not the zero,” said Deputy Meyer. 

Deputy Meyer has been participating in this program since 2013  and enjoys it every year.

When asked if this was a nice change of pace to his regular duties he replied with, “Absolutely, there are lots of smiles and laughs, it is very positive.” 

Deputy Meyer has had a great amount of experience in the law enforcement field. He started when he was 18, working as a dispatcher in Nebraska. He stayed there until he was almost 21, when he was then hired as a deputy.

He was a deputy in two different parts of Nebraska for ten years, he later worked as a canine handler and started the first mountain bike patrol in Nebraska. He was also a deputy for six years in Minnesota where he worked road patrol, boat patrol, snow-mobile patrol and started another mountain bike program there.

He later went on to be a school resource officer at an elementary school, he also spent some time in private investigation. He was hired at Liberty after the Connecticut school shooting and has been here for 7 years.

“I love my job, I enjoy building relationships with students and keeping everyone safe,” said Meyer. 

Many students do not realize the work that goes into being a school resource officer. They have to be very observant and alert.

“Everytime students do something, I want to be there so no one is hurt or sad,” said Deputy Meyer. “I wish the students knew that I am looking at so many different things. I look at people’s interactions, clothing, hands, bookbags and the doors. It is my job to be an observer.” 

When he isn’t working, Deputy Meyer loves to spend time with family, watching the LA Dodgers and drinking Pepsi.