Three local police agencies plan to give Santa a little help this weekend.

Officers from the Warsaw and Winona Lake police departments and the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Department will be providing a gift to individuals “to ease the burden sometime placed on families at this time of year,” according to a release from the sheriff’s department.

[[In-content Ad]]



An anonymous gift from a group of donors was provided to help meet this need. Officers will attempt to contact people they believe could benefit from the gift.

“These types of interactions with the public provide positive feedback and seem to strengthen our relationship with community members,” Warsaw Police Chief Scott Whitaker said in the release. “Members of our great community continue to give each year, making this an amazing time of year.  I know our officers enjoy participating.”

“This program also provides officers with positive interactions with people in our community,” Winona Lake Police Chief Joe Hawn said. “I have officers offering to volunteer on their personal time to take part in this event. It is amazing when there is this much interest in making a difference in the lives of the individuals we serve.”

“A large percentage of law enforcement’s contacts with the public are during stressful situations that may not be pleasant,” stated Kosciusko County Sheriff Rocky Goshert.  “We would like not only to put the gifts provided to good use, but to change some of those interactions into positive situations with our officers. ... Law enforcement and the public are influenced positively by this.”