Santa, cops visit with children over cocoa

By Sarah Bullock, The Cortland Voice
Original article HERE

Sure there was Santa and Buddy, presents and cocoa. But for Collin Spencer, 11, Saturday morning at Bru was all about meeting his heroes: city police officers.

Officers Jesse Abbott and Michael Maniaci, as well as sargeants Chad Hines and Cheyenne Cute, turned out for “Coffee with a Cop and Santa,” an event that aims to connect the community and the police department.

“It’s all about the relationship with the community,” said Abbott, who runs the department’s Office of Community Policing. It’s an opportunity for children and their families to meet the officers, get to know them outside of their official capacity and for barriers to break down, he said.

Getting Santa Clause and Buddy the Elf to the third annual event posed some unique challenges, Abbott said. Instead of his sleigh, Santa needed a ride in a patrol car.

“It was difficult so we had to use our lights and sirens,” he said, “but we were able to get Santa and Buddy to Bru 64.”

Olivia Locke, 9, of Cortland was glad they managed the feat.

“I loved it,” Olivia said. “I just love meeting Santa.”

Among the gifts she asked Santa for were pajamas and hair scrunchies.“I made a list,” Olivia said. “Lots of stuff.”

Olivia’s younger sister Ayla, 7, was also asking for scrunchies and her older sister, Mya, was asing for makeup.

When asked if she wanted to be a makeup artist, Mya, 10, nodded and replied dryly, “We could say that.”

Jacob Spencer, 9, of Cincinnatus, was asking for a red drone shaped like a square. His older brother, Collin Spencer, wanted a tool he could use alongside his heroes in blue: a lie detector.

Collin wore a uniform to meet the officers and said he wants to be a cop when he grows up “so I can take the bad guys to jail.”

“He lives and breathes police officers,” said his mother, Jen Spencer. “I think he’s more excited to see the police officers than Santa.”