PLAINVILLE, Conn. (WFSB) – The Plainville Police Department has found a new way to help the community by raising money for local charities through collectible patch sales.
Officer Shane Dufresne has been collecting police patches for 28 years. It’s a sort of currency between departments.
“So, when I became a police officer 28 years ago, I decided I was going to collect patches,” Dufresne said. “You would connect with people, and you did it the old-fashioned way, where you would mail them out, you know, connect with an officer.”
Officers also trade patches when they visit other departments for joint investigations or follow-ups.
Over the years, his collection has grown to a thousand patches at one point.
“But if you trade a patch with somebody, you can call them up and say, ‘Hey, I need some help with this,’” Dufresne said.
Now he’s sharing that passion project with the community. In the last five years, he’s created more than a dozen specialized patches and sells them to the public for $10. The money raised goes to charity.
“You know, sometimes in our job we see the downside of things with domestic violence and victims of domestic violence,” Dufresne said. “So we did these two years apart, and the proceeds went to the Prudence Crandall Center.”
The department also created a breast cancer awareness patch.
“The very first one we did was the Pink Cancer Awareness, and this raised the most money,” Dufresne said.
So far they’ve raised nearly $14,000 benefiting a local autism group, an Alzheimer’s charity and the Special Olympics.
The most recent design is marking America’s 250th birthday.
“It’s a great way to connect with the community and help people in your own community,” Dufresne said. “You know, we know where the money’s going. It stays local, and we’re proud to be a part of the community.”
The America 250 patch is selling now. Money raised from this one supports the Officer Robert Holcomb Scholarship Fund in honor of a fallen officer from the department.