TAMPA, Fla. — As a parent and retired police officer, Lisa Bunn has always been passionate about keeping kids safe. 

Bunn came up with the idea for the Keeping Our Kids Safe workshop and has been leading it since 2019. The workshop educates parents and caretakers about safety practices for children with special needs.

What You Need To Know

  • The City of Tampa hosted the 4th annual Keeping Our Kids Safe event on Saturday

  • Lisa Bunn, a retired police officer and mother, created the workshop in 2019

  • Bunn's daughter has autism and she wanted to use her experience as a parent and police officer to help save lives

  • The workshop touches on a range of issues, including mental health, water safety and preventing abuse

“I took an oath back in 2001 to make a difference and that’s what I’m trying to do," Bunn said.

The cause is personal to Bunn, whose daughter has autism. Bunn said she saw a need in the community and wanted to use her experience as both a parent and police officer to help save lives. 

“They’re more at risk because of the cognitive disability," she said. "This training allows them to be more aware and to learn different techniques, to get the safety training projected to where they can understand it.”

Data from the Centers for Disease Control shows that kids with disabilities have a greater risk of getting injured and are more than twice as likely to become victims of abuse. 

Saturday's workshop touched on a range of issues including preventing abuse, interacting with law enforcement, securing medications and firearms, mental health and water safety – which Bunn said is one of the biggest risks for kids with disabilities.

"We live in Florida, we’re surrounded by so much water," she said. "It just breaks my heart to investigate drownings or hear of drownings. That's one of the leading causes of death in the autism community."

Families in attendance were also able to register their kids for the Tampa Police Department's special needs registry, so first responders could be aware of their condition in the event of an emergency. 

Bunn believes that education is power and knowledge could help save a child's life. 

“Hopefully we’re able to get the message out and you know they walk away feeling great that they learned something and then they can share it.”

Numerous local organizations were part of Saturday's workshop, including the Children's Board of Hillsborough County, the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay and the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) at USF.