'Plane' truth is cops' desire to help others
BY ELANA ARON
Correspondent

FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP - The Freehold Township Police Department will be fundraising again for the Special Olympics, this time participating in something they have never tried before.

According to Freehold Township Community Policing Officer Todd Smith, a team of 20 police officers will be pulling a 737 airplane that weighs in at more than 46 tons (92,000 pounds).

The event, dubbed the "Plane Pull," will be held on Sept. 30 at Newark Liberty International Airport with officers from police departments throughout New Jersey, as well as some private teams, participating.

The event will coincide with Newark Liberty's "Airport Day." The airport's police and fire vehicles, as well as airplanes, will be on display to the public.

Smith said the police department is trying to maintain the state's title as the country's biggest fundraiser for the Special Olympics.

"Michigan has been raising a lot of money, so we want New Jersey to stay in the lead," he said.

Donations may be sent to Officer Todd Smith, Freehold Township Police Department, 1 Municipal Plaza, Freehold 07728. For more information about the Special Olympics visit www.sonj.org.

In other news, the Freehold Township Police Department has announced the implementation of the Data Collection Form for Persons with Developmental Disabilities.

The registry was set up to assist local law enforcement in the event of a missing child with autism or other developmental disabilities. Pertinent information is collected through a series of questions such as a child's tendency to wander, phobias and fears, specific behaviors, sensory issues, medications, and identifying marks.

"Many autistic kids are, for example, attracted to water," said Smith. "If we see from the registry that the missing child does like the water, we'll look first at the closest body of water."

Smith noted that children with autism have the highest death rate from drowning.

For more information contact Officer Todd Smith at (732) 294-2146.