CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A Virgin Islands Police Department holiday gift drive got a 630-gift response in time for Christmas, organizers of the event said.
Local businesses and private citizens generously donated to the cause and the VIPD’s Crime Prevention Bureau, St. Thomas Rescue and the Civil Air Patrol teamed up from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to hand out gifts and $100 gift cards to at least 500 homes on Christmas Day.
Five patrol vehicles stocked with gifts, music, caroling — and conversation engaged the community in a non-threatening way to find out what their needs and issues are, Captain Sandra Colbourne, officer in charge of the Crime Prevention Bureau said.
“It was beautiful,” Colbourne told the Virgin Islands Daily News. “It was the best thing I’ve experienced in my 33 years on the job.”