IRVINE : Plush Toys Standard Police Equipment
Irvine police say that once in a while, every child needs something to cuddle.
So starting Tuesday, Irvine squad cars each will carry a duffel bag filled with stuffed animals that officers can hand to young victims of crime or children taken into protective custody.
“I think little things like that will help,” Police Lt. Mike White said of easing the trauma faced by children.
The idea for “Project Cuddle” came from Costa Mesa resident Debbe Magnusen, a foster mother who noticed that one of the children she was supervising became afraid whenever a police car drove by their home. The child feared that she would be taken to jail.
Magnusen seized upon the idea of handing out stuffed toys as a way of comforting children. So she hustled up donations and encouraged police agencies to keep the toys in the trunks of cruisers. Irvine received 275 toys.
She said 11 police agencies are expected to distribute more than 1,000 toys. Participating departments include Fountain Valley, Newport Beach, Westminster and Brea, she said.
“If we just help one or two children, that’s one or two children we won’t have to see come back into the court system,” Magnusen said.
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