COLORADO SPRINGS — CSPD officer Allison Steinhardt is being commended for her efforts to help a local family.
Several months ago, CSPD started receiving reports of a young boy with autism named Hunter who went missing from his home. After the initial report, officers from the Gold Hill area, including Officer Steinhardt, immediately began searching for Hunter and eventually found him. This was not an isolated incident however, and over the past several months Hunter has wandered away from home several times, according to CSPD. To make matters more difficult, Hunter is non-verbal and described as "elusive."
Although Hunter was found each time he left home, CSPD said officer Steinhardt was determined to find a better, safer way to find him. She spent months researching different methods and eventually learned of a GPS system other officers in the state were using to locate missing kids and adults like Hunter.
CSPD said Officer Steinhardt told her commander about what she found and offered to personally pay for the device for Hunter's family and pay for the monthly service fee.
“Her efforts were nothing short of commendable,” said CSPD Commander Sean Mandel.
According to CSPD, Commander Sean Mandel reached out to AngelSense, a company that provided GPS devices to children with special needs, and after explaining Hunter's situation to the company, they agreed to provide their product and the first 30 days of service for free.
After delivering the product to Hunter and his family, Officer Steinhardt also contacted the Department of Human Services and the Resource Exchange, and the will be covering the monthly service fee for the device, according to CSPD.
In a special ceremony last week, Officer Steinhardt was presented with the "Chief's Vision and Values Award" and applauded for going above and beyond, according to CSPD.
