Greenfield's Operation: Spooky Rundown gave Highland County Shop with a Cop a Halloween-themed fundraising boost Saturday. The Greenfield Police Department opened its headquarters at 300 Jefferson St. from 5 to 9 p.m., with families invited to take part in a costume contest, visit food trucks and play hide-and-seek against officers.
A flyer the department posted on Facebook listed a $1 entry fee for the costume contest, $8 fish sandwiches and $1 pop and water. Scioto Valley Guardian reported that raffle tickets also cost $1 each; prizes included the chance to throw a pie at Police Chief Jeremiah Oyer, Mayor Christopher Borreson or Patrolman Snavely.
Hide-and-Seek With Officers
At 8 p.m., participants could enter a hide-and-seek game for $5, with another $5 bond required to rejoin after being caught. Food truck vendor Viral Cravings served food, and DJ Bones provided music. The outlet reported that other games and activities were free and open to all ages. Signage at the fundraiser identified Highland County Shop with a Cop as the beneficiary.
Oyer has served with the Greenfield Police Department for more than two decades. The Scioto Valley Guardian said it obtained its event information directly from the department.
How Shop With a Cop Works
Shop with a Cop is an annual holiday shopping program involving law enforcement agencies in Highland and Brown counties. Local school districts select participating children, who are paired with law-enforcement mentors for the trip, according to timesgazette.com. The program is intended to help children from financially struggling families, though the Times-Gazette has noted that financial hardship is not necessarily the sole basis for selection. At least three children are typically chosen from each of Highland County's five public school districts; participants are ages 9 through 12.
What County Poverty Data Can—and Can't—Show
According to U.S. Census Bureau data cited by FRED, 14.1% of Highland County residents were below the poverty level in the 2024 American Community Survey five-year estimate. That is a countywide figure, not a child poverty rate; it does not provide a comparison with Ohio's child poverty rate or determine eligibility for Shop with a Cop.
The Highland County Sheriff's Office participates alongside the Hillsboro, Greenfield, Leesburg and Lynchburg police departments. The annual outing typically includes breakfast, a motorcade of lighted patrol cruisers to a Hillsboro store, lunch and bowling, according to the same report. Past versions have also included a pizza party and games after shopping.
Fundraising Beyond Halloween
The Highland County organization formed in 2017 to raise money for its annual event, with fundraisers held throughout the year, according to The Times-Gazette. The county's participation in the broader Shop with a Cop effort began in 2015, after the program originated in Brown County nearly a decade earlier, The Times-Gazette reported. The Highland County Sheriff's Office also runs an annual version funded in part by community donations and events.
Other recent fundraising efforts included a Coffee Corral event scheduled for Oct. 28, when the business planned to donate 10% of sales to Shop with a Cop. The fundraiser was set for 6:30 to 11 a.m. at the Highland County Sheriff's Office on Homestead Avenue in Hillsboro, according to Scioto Valley Guardian. In past years, the Highland County event has drawn 15 to 20 children, while one prior year was expected to involve 30 to 40 county officers.
A Department Under New Village Leadership
The fundraiser also brought the police department together with Greenfield's new village leadership. Voters chose in 2024 to restore a mayoral system, and Borreson took office Jan. 1 as the village's first mayor since the change.
