Austin Bunn Obituary, Death – The Carmel Police Department wishes to honour one of its fallen officers. Austin Bunn (19) died in a terrible accident on May 9, 2023. Austin and the CPD and its officers shared a special affinity. Austin had one desire when he was 10 years old in 2014: he wanted to be a police officer. Austin wanted to be a part of the Carmel Police Explorer Post #382, which allows local kids to witness police officers in action and receive hands-on training.
Cadet Explorers can ride along with on-duty police officers and attend community events. Despite the fact that Austin was too young to enroll at the time, CPD sought out and joined the Learning for Life “club program,” which waived the age barrier, allowing him to participate. Austin’s maturity, perseverance, and desire to participate were all commendable. Austin performed admirably in cadet training. In 2016, Austin was named the top cadet and received the Jake Laird Memorial Leadership Award at the Carmel Police Teen Police Academy.
Austin rose through the ranks of the cadet program, from Squad Leader to Sergeant to Lieutenant. Austin was the cops’ point man in charge of those youth activities. He was a priceless resource for the department’s employees. Austin donated countless hours at CPD activities such as Crime Stoppers Shred-It Day recycling, the Hamilton County Fallen Officer Memorial Service, CarmelFest, Carmel Public Safety Day, National Night Out, and other CHS athletic events traffic details.
Austin was a member of the Lawrence Police Department’s Explorer Post and volunteered at the Carmel Ice Rink during the annual Light the Lamp event to benefit the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. He also donated his hair to the St. Baldricks Foundation on a yearly basis. Austin was driven by a deep sense of duty. Austin gave his services every year around the holidays to assist the Carmel Fraternal Order of Police Food Basket Program in packing thousands of boxes of holiday meals to serve poor families.
