Local law enforcement will try their hand at another type of service to the community next week.
Officers will participate in the annual Tip-a-Cop fundraiser next Tuesday and Thursday to benefit the Shop With a Cop program, which helps out children in need at Christmas. Grantsville City Police Detective Lydon Allred said Tip-a-Cop is a big part of the program and something his colleagues look forward to.
“The officers have a ton of fun doing it,” Allred said.
Participating officers dress in their full uniforms and take on the role of wait staff at Casa Del Ray in Grantsville and Jim’s Family Restaurant in Tooele, with all proceeds from tips and donations benefiting the Shop With a Cop program. All local law enforcement is represented, including state Adult Probation and Parole, Allred said.
Working as wait staff for the evening has its own trials and tribulations, Allred admits. There are usually a few spilled drinks or plates, as well as good-natured joking from restaurant patrons, he said.
Allred said there’s even good-natured competition between Tooele City and Grantsville City police over which Tip-a-Cop fundraiser raises more money.
The donations for the program include some sizable tips by generous patrons but also the restaurant owners, Allred said. With officers collecting all of the tips that evening, the restaurant owners pay their employees to cover the difference and chip in out of their own pocket, he said.
All of the fun and fundraising ensures the Shop With a Cop program has the available funds to benefit more than 100 local children in families dealing with financial difficulties or family hardships.
This year’s Tip-a-Cop events are Tuesday, Dec. 5 at Casa Del Ray and Thursday, Dec. 7 at Jim’s Family Restaurant, with both from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.