Posted Wednesday, June 21, 2017 12:10 pm

Handguns, bullet-proof vests, Tasers and stuffed animals.

What item on this list doesn’t seem to belong?

You probably said “stuffed animals,” but when it comes to equipment that Middletown Borough Police officers need to carry, stuffed animals really do belong on the list.

Only you won’t find stuffed animals among the list of police equipment items that are funded by the borough budget.

Instead, the MPD has depended on the generosity of outside groups to provide a piece of equipment that officers say comes in very handy — especially any time an officer is dealing with a situation involving a young child.

In recent years, Kiwanis and Members 1st have donated teddy bears and other stuffed animals to the department for officers to give to children, said MPD Patrol Officer Mark Laudenslager.

Now, a new group has stepped up — the Penn State Harrisburg Chapter of the National Criminal Justice Honor Society, known as Alpha Phi Sigma.

The chapter is new this academic year, said Jennifer Gibbs, an assistant professor of criminal justice and chapter co-adviser along with Jennifer Smith, a lecturer in criminal justice at Penn State Harrisburg.

After seeing a video in Gibbs’ class depicting a young girl in a car accident being calmed down by a police officer giving her a stuffed animal, students in the chapter were inspired to organize a campus-wide collection of new stuffed animals to be donated to the Middletown Police Department.

Dubbed “Operation Tactical Teddy Bear” by the students, the collection took place over the course of the past semester starting in January, and was the chapter’s first community service project, Gibbs said.

Gibbs and Smith recently showed up at the MPD to drop off four large bags full of new stuffed animals to the department. The animals vary in size, shape and color, but they are all cuddly.

Smaller bags containing a few of the stuffed animals will be placed in each police cruiser, Laudenslager said. Officers give them out at their own discretion. However, police typically hand out a stuffed animal to any child who is at the scene or involved in a domestic violence incident, an accident or emergency, or any situation involving child custody.

Laudenslager has seen first hand the impact the stuffed animals can have upon a child.

“It usually calms them down right away. They will hug it (the stuffed animal) the whole time,” he said.

Penn State Harrisburg has about 150 criminal justice students. Many are looking to become police officers, Gibbs said.

Among other requirements, undergraduate criminal justice students at Penn State Harrisburg must have a minimum grade point average of 3.2 to get into the National Criminal Justice Honor Society. Graduate students need a minimum GPA of 3.4.

The new Penn State Harrisburg chapter has eight students. The idea for the stuffed animal drive is credited to the chapter’s three officers: President Michael Raymond, Vice President Michael Imbrogno, and Secretary/Treasurer Aric Townes.

Other members who assisted are Bao Pham, Christine Hollman, Daniela Barberi and Michael Posteraro.

The chapter plans to have more service projects and will look for other opportunities to connect with the Middletown Police Department, Gibbs said.