We were honored to be featured in a KSL.com story about an important community partnership between Weber State University sociology students, local police officers, and Buddies4Life clients.
The event brought officers from Clearfield and Layton to our Clearfield center, where they met with about 20 Buddies4Life participants. Together, they talked about safety, asked questions, and shared personal stories.
For many clients, this was a chance to have a positive, approachable interaction with police officers — a step that can make all the difference in an emergency. Officers spoke about their roles, from responding to accidents to offering medical aid, while clients asked about everything from police dogs to seatbelt safety.
Events like this are valuable for both sides. Clients learn that officers are here to help, and officers gain a better understanding of the diverse ways people with disabilities communicate and experience the world.
As Buddies4Life co-founder Andrew Brinton shared, restraint should always be a last resort — what really matters is giving individuals the time and space to calm down. This perspective comes from years of teaching special education and raising three children with autism, as well as from the daily experiences of our Buddies.
At Buddies4Life, we believe in building bridges of trust and understanding across our community. This partnership shows what’s possible when students, law enforcement, and organizations like ours come together to learn from each other.
💜 Thank you to Weber State, the Clearfield and Layton Police Departments, and KSL.com for highlighting this important work.