Milford police officers spent Saturday morning outside the local Walmart collecting backpacks, notebooks and classroom essentials from shoppers, loading the donations into a marked patrol cruiser as part of the department's annual Fill-a-Cruiser back-to-school drive.

The Aug. 8 event came nine days before Milford Exempted Village Schools students return to class on Aug. 17, according to Fox 19.

The Milford Police Department announced the drive on Facebook, describing it as part of its partnership-based approach to community policing. The department, led by Chief Donald "Jamey" Mills since 2011, has run Fill-a-Cruiser collections for at least five years, partnering with Walmart and other local agencies to get supplies into students' hands before the first bell.

In the department's 2021 Annual Report, Chief Mills wrote that the return to in-person classes gave the department an opportunity to partner with Milford Schools, Miami Township and Walmart on supply drives. Council records show the department held two separate collections that summer, on July 31 and Aug. 14, 2021.

The Clermont Guardian reported that officers stationed themselves outside the store Saturday and collected donations throughout the morning.

Mills, a 1990 Milford High School graduate who joined the department in 1994, has built community outreach into the agency's identity. The department's 2025 Annual Report lists programs including a Citizen Police Academy with 11 graduating classes, a "No Tricks, Just Treats" Halloween candy delivery for children with disabilities, and a diversity program developed with Magnify Education. The Milford Police Community Partnership, a subsidiary organization, funds many of these projects.

The department did not specify which schools or organizations will receive the donated supplies. Residents with questions can contact the Milford Police Department at (513) 248-5084 or visit the station at 745 Center St.