A stuffed version of the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department's emotional support dog Rye is intended to comfort children when officers respond to family emergencies. The plush toy stands just over 7 inches tall and wears a tiny black scarf stitched with the KCK police badge, according to the department.
A Soft Companion for Hard Calls
The department partnered with the Shadow Buddies Foundation to build the toy, as reported by FOX4KC. The real Rye already works alongside KCKPD's Crisis Intervention Team, helping bring comfort to people in difficult situations, and the department says he helps people feel more comfortable without needing to say a word. The plush is intended to offer children comfort during difficult situations.
The shadow buddy is intended to give children comfort during officers' responses to family emergencies, which may involve mental health crises, substance use or other difficult family situations. Phillip Mathis, the KCKPD Critical Intervention Team leader, said the toy adds a softer side to law enforcement encounters with children. Mathis also described wearing a polo shirt and different pants on these calls, a deliberate choice to present officers differently to people in crisis.
Built on a Model From Johnson County
The Lenexa-based nonprofit was founded in September 1995, according to the Shadow Buddies Foundation. The foundation has also created comfort items for first responders.
Before Rye got his plush counterpart, the foundation created a replica of Gus, a black Labrador therapy dog with the Johnson County Sheriff's Office, in 2023. The foundation says Gus Buddy dogs have put smiles on more than 1,900 children. The Kansas City Missouri Police Department has also offered comfort bears.
A Crisis Team Built on De-Escalation
KCKPD's Crisis Intervention Team isn't new. It operates on a co-responder model established in 2013 in partnership with Wyandot Behavioral Health Network, pairing officers directly with a Licensed Master Social Worker on crisis calls, according to Wyandot Behavioral Health Network. To present a less intimidating presence during mental health calls and family emergencies, the unit's officers wear plain clothes rather than tactical uniforms and respond in unmarked vehicles — the same philosophy Mathis described in explaining his own wardrobe choices.
The department's crisis team responded to more than 430 calls for service last year, including 88 contacts involving juveniles. Wyandot Behavioral Health Network reports 40-hour CIT training for KCKPD officers.
Rye's Role Beyond Crisis Calls
The real Rye is designated specifically as an emotional support and critical incident response dog rather than a traditional patrol or apprehension canine. He's a regular at community outreach events too, including the department's annual Halloween giveaway at Gateway Plaza, as noted by Wyandotte News Daily.
The push toward comfort items like the Rye plush comes as federal dollars flow into the department's broader crisis work. In January, KCKPD was awarded $410,353 in federal Victims of Crime Act grant funding through the U.S. Department of Justice to support victim advocacy and crisis intervention services in Wyandotte County, according to the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas.
Trauma-Informed Support for Children
The Yale Center for Traumatic Stress and Recovery provides trauma-informed law-enforcement training and clinical consultation for children in distress, according to Yale School of Medicine. KCKPD's approach includes plainclothes officers and co-responding social workers, alongside the new plush dog in a badge scarf.
