Police officer highlights autism-awareness outreach in school

An officer speaking at a school event said members of the department began wearing patches to mark April as Autism Awareness Month and to signal support for students. The officer said the initiative is intended to show children that officers are there to build relationships and keep them safe, not only to enforce laws. He added that officers hope to develop trust and rapport with students and staff through ongoing contact.

The remarks framed the outreach as part of broader community-policing efforts aimed at making officers visible as supportive figures to children who “sometimes see us more than we see our family,” the officer said. No formal actions or policy decisions were recorded in the transcript.