SUMTER, S.C. — The Sumter Police Department is giving Santa Claus a helping hand by collecting mail from the community. A mailbox is now outside of the department, where you can drop off letters.
“That mailbox is amazing and magical,” 7-year-old Mackenzie Bailey smiles.
Bailey tells me she was excited to drop off a letter to Santa.
“I asked him if I could have a part in a movie because I really like watching people on TV,” Bailey shares.
Bailey dropped off a letter with that request to the mailbox in front of the Sumter Police Department.
“You ought to see it with the faces when they come up to the mailbox to drop it off because they're sending a special letter that they wrote to santa and we’re kind of helping them out with it,” Sergeant Major James Sinkler explains.
Sinkler serves on the department’s community services unit. He says the department’s chief is responsible for a focused effort on building positive relations with the community.
“He wants to be a part of the community and most of us are invested in the community. We have family and friends that go to the schools here. We also want kids to understand that they can always relate and come to us when they feel like they’re unsafe or any problem that they may have, they can come and talk to the police officers. And we kind of do that every day when we're out and about,” Sinkler details. “We try to get out into the community, just let them know there's a different side of the police, the police officers. A lot of people see us one way but we do a lot of stuff in the community for good to help seniors, middle aged and young ones too. We want them to know that we're here for them.”
It’s an effort that Mackenzie's mom LaTascia appreciates.
“I thought it was a really nice idea. And it’s a nice touch,” LaTascia explains. “It’s good for the kids to be able to interact with the police officers and the community.”
If you’d like to send a letter of your own to the North Pole, all you need to do is write your name and your address (no stamp needed) and mail it off before Dec. 17. Then, Sinkler says kids can expect a response from Santa Claus himself.