Stillwater Joins Area Police Departments in Donating to Toys for Tots

On Dec. 19, 45 police cars and SUVs streamed into Golden Valley, lining the streets near City Hall.

But this was no emergency.

With cars full of gifts, about 20 metro-area police departments gathered at the Golden Valley police station in preparation for the Golden Valley Police Department's annual Toys for Tots parade to the KARE 11 drop-off site.

Stillwater joined dozens of other Twin Cities police departments in answering the call. 

While officers admit that it's almost impossible to count how many toys each department donates, Golden Valley police told Patch that cops bring thousands of gifts to the KARE 11 tent each year.

Right before 5 p.m., police roared down Golden Valley Road to KARE 11's station with sirens on and lights flashing. Wednesday's noisy motorcade of law enforcement backed up traffic and stopped a few residents in their tracks, but all for a good cause.