The Statesville Police Department is starting a new initiative for city residents, 'Specialized Community Response' (SCR) that will engage the community to partner with law enforcement in how we respond to locations that might have citizens that require specialized needs and services.
This initiative is being developed presently and is expected to be implemented in the upcoming weeks. SCR will allow for citizens with family members that have either Autism or other Intellectual Development Disabilities (IDD), to register their addresses and locations so that in the event of an emergency, police and other first responders are prepared to adequately address the needs of the individual.
Have a specialized response to these locations will increase the safety at the location for everyone involved. For example, if an officer is dispatched for a 911 call to a registered address, the officer would be alerted that it is a home with an autistic or IDD person. In this instance the officer may choose to respond without lights and siren, to reduce the stress and fear the person might have with regard to the noise and flashing lights.
The pre-notification will also allow the officer to adjust the police presence in the home. Many officers do not immediately recognize the signs of a person who is autistic because of infrequent interaction. The early notification will give officers a 'heads up' and better understanding so that when they arrive at the home, they are prepared in dealing with the situation at hand and for the specialized manner in how we manage these situations for the safety of the individual.
The SCR program will allow families to register their Autistic or IDD family member with the Statesville Police Department. SCR registration will include an up to date phot and demographic information to be maintained in our telecommunication's center.
SCR registration will provide immediate information access to responding officers. The additional information will also be vital in the even that the identified family member becomes missing or is in need of help, increasing our ability to expediently asses and respond to the situation.
Once registered, the Statesville Police Department will provide SCR awareness decals to the requesting family member or caregiver. SCR decals would then be affixed to the front entry door of the person's residence. Additional decals will be issued for any vehicles frequently used. SCR registered families will then be requested to maintain safety response information in a packet to be affixed to the residence refrigerator and in any vehicles that might be used so that any special needs and contacts can be utilized.
The SCR Program is solely for the purposes of handling these types of situations in the best way possible and education is critical to our success in responding to families in need. In doing so, the Statesville Police Department respects the citizen rights to privacy. The information retained for this project will be used solely for emergency response purposes. We hope that families will join us in the effort to better care for and protect all of our community.
Please assist us in keeping our city safe and in protecting those who need it the most.
