Manor College Student Leads Efforts to Build Autism Kits for Abington PD
Lauren Brown, a senior Criminal Justice major, hopes to become a Philadelphia Police Officer after graduation.
During a class on policing last Fall, Abington Township Police Officer Michael Jones spoke about the different aspects of being a law enforcement officer. Within his conversation, Officer Jones talked about working with children who may have been a victim or witnessed a crime, and specialized training involving interactions with neurodiverse adults and children.
Officer Jones mentioned how, in his vehicle, he keeps a special kit for those situations – a bag filled with sunglasses, a whiteboard for communication, bubbles, stickers and more. Struck by the officer’s care for those he works with, Manor College student Lauren Brown took action.
Brown organized several students and staffers at Manor College, secured funds and made packs for all officers in the Abington Police Department.
“Officer Mike mentioned how he had one, but not everyone did, so I figured we’d make them to help officers in Abington,” Brown said.
In total, Brown and her group made 85 kits for the Abington Police Department, which serves Manor College and the surrounding area.
“This project and idea was solely from Lauren,” Leslie Maxwell, a Professor at Manor College who teaches policing, said. “I am enormously proud of Lauren. This is certainly special.”
Officer Jones and his K-9 partner Shadow picked up the bags from Manor College on Monday, April 27. Brown, a senior Criminal Justice student at Manor College, called Officer Jones an inspiration. Brown, whose father serves as a lieutenant in the Philadelphia Police Department, hopes to become a police officer following graduation.
“I wanted to do it because there’s a lot of incidents involving police and citizens with autism,” Brown said. “It’s better to spread awareness and help police officers with resources instead of sitting back and watching.”
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