Waynesville police officers wear blue badges for autism awareness month

WAYNESVILLE, Mo. — This April, officers with the Waynesville Police Department (WPD) are sporting some special blue police badges for a good cause.

For Autism Awareness Month, the WPD was authorized to wear commemorative blue badges to stand with those who have autism, with a message reading “Help create a kinder world” around the center of the badge.

According to the City of Waynesville’s government Facebook page, the Waynesville officers paid for the commemorative badges out of their own pockets, but local residents raised all that money back for the police department.

With the donated money, the city said officers will give the funds to Shop With a Cop, a program that lets children in need shop for gifts with police officers and foster connections within local communities.

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