CAMBRIDGE, MASS. (WHDH) -
Cambridge police are using a special patch to fund autism training, highlighting the issue after an officer helped a child living with autism last week.
Officer Zack Kelso responded to a call about a boy wandering in an MBTA station last Sunday, and found a 9-year-old living with autism who had wandered away from his home in Somerville. Kelso brought the nonverbal child out of the station and eventually reunited him with his family.
The department sells special patches with proceeds going to the Autism and Law Enforcement Education Coalition, which teaches first responders about helping people living with autism.
“You have to be able to deal with any part of the population or kind of special circumstance you might find yourself in,” said fellow officer Robert Reardon. “You never know what you’re going to encounter on this job and that’s what makes it a great job to do, but also very difficult at times.”
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)