Teddy Bears To Join Sarasota Police Patrols

Image: The teddy bears were donated by the Tiny Hands Foundation (Sarasota Police Department).

In a Monday ceremony, Sarasota Police Chief Bernadette DiPino accepted more than 500 teddy bears from the Tiny Hands Foundation of Sarasota and Manatee counties. The new teddy bear “officers” will ride with Sarasota police officers and will be given out to help comfort children who may be in distress.

“When children are involved in a traumatic situation, it’s nice for our officers to provide them with a cuddly stuffed bear to help comfort them,” DiPino said in a department statement. “These teddy bears will help children in our community know that we’re here to help them.”

“We are excited to once again bring the ‘Teddy Bear Brigade’ and provide
‘Officer Teddy Bears’ to patrol with our Sarasota police officers,” said Rod Khleif, founder and president of the Tiny Hands Foundation, in the statement.

“If one of these teddy bears comforts, consoles or eases the pain of a single child [who] is experiencing trauma, then our goal has been met,” he said.