KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Secret Santa in Shawnee gave police at least $10,000 this holiday season.
While some of that money will be used to buy equipment and pay for training, some was explicitly set aside to be given away.
On Friday, instead of pulling people over, Ofc. Adam Dougherty handed out $100 dollar bills to people passing by. The surprise was well received, especially by one woman with a young boy in tow.
"We're literally going to a food bank right now," she said, choking up as she took the money. "We've had a lot of issues, so thank you."
Seeing the response was equally emotional for Dogherty.
"That made me feel really good," he said. "She kind of teared up. It made me feel like I made the right choice and actually made an impact with what I'm out there doing."
Dougherty told KSHB 41 the unfortunate truth of working in law enforcement is that officers generally contact people on one of, if not the, worst days of their lives.
But participating in initiatives like the Secret Santa giveaway where he can see the looks on peoples' faces "makes it more worth it."
"Days like today are nice because we get to go out and contact people and hopefully make it a better day," Dougherty said.
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