HSI Baltimore, HSI Atlanta support Atlanta-area law enforcement’s back-to-school “Shop With a Cop” event

ATLANTA — Special agents and support staff from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Baltimore and HSI Atlanta joined forces July 25 to support their law enforcement partners at an Atlanta area back-to-school event for young girls.

HSI Baltimore and HSI Atlanta partnered with the Atlanta Police Department, the National Police Athletic League (PAL), the Atlanta PAL, WNBA Legends and a local sporting goods and outdoor store to conduct a back-to-school “Kids Shop with a Cop Holiday” event.

Ten young women from the Atlanta PAL were each treated to a $150 shopping spree at a local sporting goods and outdoor store in Atlanta to purchase clothes and supplies for the upcoming school year. Members of HSI Baltimore and HSI Atlanta escorted and helped the participants select back-to-school items during their shopping trip.

“This event was not only fun, but it was also a great way to connect to the youth in the community and give something back,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard, who oversees HSI operations in Georgia and Alabama. “We are looking forward to the next opportunity to work with local youth.”

Later that day, the HSI team joined personnel from the National PAL, the Atlanta PAL and WNBA Legends in hosting a three-hour “Play Like a Girl” basketball clinic coached by six former WNBA players. Approximately 50 young girls, ranging in ages from 6 to 16 years old, attended the event.

The event concluded that evening when the WNBA invited the 10 Atlanta PAL participants to attend the Atlanta Dream basketball game. The young ladies cheered the team to victory as the Atlanta Dream defeated the Phoenix Mercury 78-65.

The Police Athletic League is a nonprofit public benefit corporation. Its mission is to provide a safe environment for youth to reach their full potential through partnerships with the police community using athletics and other programs, which are geared toward improving the quality of life of its participants.

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 6,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

Follow HSI Baltimore and HSI Atlanta on X, formerly known as Twitter: @HSIBaltimore and @HSIAtlanta.