By Dennis Box-The Courier-Herald

The sirens blaring Saturday morning near Target signaled a happy event for a change.

Bonney Lake police officers escorted 10 children to Target for the “Shop with a Cop” event.

The children rode in officer's patrol cars or on an East Pierce Fire and Rescue fire engine in a procession complete with emergency lights and sirens blaring. The procession traveled from the Public Safety Building to Target at about 8 a.m.

The event was sponsored by a grant from Target and a local donor.

The 10 children each received a $50 gift card and they went around the store accompanied by an officer or police department employee.

Police Chief Mike Mitchell accompanied one boy and helped him figure out what to buy for Christmas.

“This was awesome as much for the officers as the kids,” Mitchell said. “The smiles on these kids' faces were great.”

The children found gifts for their family members and themselves and each one carefully selected the gifts.

Officer Tony Rice organized the event with Devin Craig.

“I was very pleased with this,” Rice said. “It was a lot of fun for all of us and Target helped make this possible.”

Accompanying the children were six officers including the chief, two administrative assistants and a community volunteer.

Rice said he hopes to expand the program next year to include more children.

Craig said he was happy to see how many lives the event affected.

“It's a way for us to give back to the community,” Craig said.