Plainville Police Department continues collectible patches for a good cause

Collectibles come in all shapes and sizes, from pennies to posters to pocket watches. In Plainville, it’s all about patches. 

For the last five years, the Plainville Police Department has created special patches for a good cause. Patches range from ones celebrating different holidays to raising awareness for different causes.

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The holiday ones include iconic movie designs such as Polar Express, The Nightmare Before Christmas, or The Grinch. The department has also worked with local hospitals to raise awareness for domestic violence, autism, and breast cancer. 

The mastermind behind it all is Officer Shane Dufresne. 

“Twenty-nine years ago, when I became a police officer, I started trading department patches with other officers,” said Dufresne. 

The very first patch he designed raised awareness for breast cancer. It was inspired by a late officer he worked with. The Plainville Police Department sold those patches for $10 each, and the department was able to donate $2,000 to the Hartford Healthcare Cancer Institute in town. 

Since then, the patches have only grown. For the holiday patches, the money raised from those sales goes to students in the town. 

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“It goes to our Robert Holcomb Scholarship. Officer Holcomb was a police officer here. He was murdered in the line of duty in November 1977. Every year, we give out scholarships to local students who are pursuing a career in criminal justice,” Dufresne explained.

The mental health patch has a bigger story: It’s a dedication to a child named Nolan. 

“Three years ago, we had a 7th grade student who… he lost his battle with mental health. His mother saw the story that was done in the paper about the patches that we do, and she reached out to me,” Dufresne explained. “She says, ‘Hey Shane, can we do a patch for Nolan?’”

That patch sold out in three days. 

In total, all the sales from all patches have raised nearly $17,000 which has all gone back to the community, between scholarships and awareness communities. While the police officers themselves don’t wear them, people have come from all over town to get their hands on the newest Halloween patch. It was most recently sold out. 

“So I collect patches, and this one is super fun. How can you not love Hocus Pocus?” said Erika Francis. She’s from Norwich, which is an hour away from Plainville. 

Dufresne said they will not stop making patches and have even started preparing holiday ones for the month of December.