Summit County Police Agencies Regroup After Shop With A Cop Scandal; Departments Responding In Different Ways

Each holiday season, Akron-area officers raise money to take hundreds of children shopping for toys and gifts they otherwise couldn’t afford.The actions of one officer, who was convicted Thursday of stealing from Shop With a Cop, however, put the future of the program in jeopardy.Summit County law enforcement agencies regrouped after former Richfield officer Michael Simmons’ arrest in May to decide whether the tradition would continue.The answer is: yes and no.A group of law enforcement agencies in the northern part of the county are continuing the annual tradition under the Shop With a Cop name, while a second group in the central and southern portion of the county have started a new program called Christmas With a Cop.