C.A.R.E

According to 2012 data published in Pediatrics, 49% of children with an ASD attempt to elope from a safe environment, a rate nearly four times higher than their unaffected siblings. It’s also estimated that individuals with ASD will have seven times more contacts with law enforcement during their lifetimes than the general population (Curry, Posluszny, & Kraska, 1993). ASD behaviors like eye-contact avoidance, not responding to commands, or reacting differently to sounds, lights and commotion, may be mistaken for defiance, non-compliance or drug/alcohol use and lead to unsafe interactions with members of law enforcement and other first responders. Similar to wandering behaviors in seniors with dementia or Alzheimer’s, children and adults with ASD are prone to wandering away from safe environments.

Overview

Lebanon Police Department created the C.A.R.E (Community Assistance Registry for the Exceptional) program to aid police officers during interactions with individuals with mental illness or diseases that affect their cognitive ability and communication. The registry uses voluntarily provided information and existing computer systems to improve the quality of police response to calls involving vulnerable populations.

Problem

Effective communication is key to quality police responses. Calls involving individuals with mental illness or diseases that affect cognitive ability or communication create unique situations for responding officers. Responding officers may not always have vital information about the vulnerable person and the presence or absence of this information can affect a response. When police officers can quickly obtain relevant details about the person, such as what they look like, the locations they frequent, and specific de-escalation information, they can improve the interaction and form the foundation for successful mediation. The Lebanon Police Department is implementing a streamlined method of providing such crucial information to responding officers by creating the C.A.R.E (Community Assistance Registry for the Exceptional) program.

Solution

Lebanon Police Department created C.A.R.E to aid police officers in responding to 9-1-1 calls for people with mental illness, disabilities, autism, Alzheimer’s, or any condition that may require mental health assistance or special aid.

The C.A.R.E program contains vital information about individuals who live in the town and may benefit from special assistance during a police response. All registry information is voluntarily submitted and typically provided by loved ones and caregivers of those in need. Individuals also can enter their own information into the registry. The C.A.R.E entries include name, address, date of birth, and physical appearance descriptors. Photos, preferred names, triggers, calming methods, and specific descriptions of needs also can be uploaded.

Lebanon Police Department uses their existing software and technology to store and quickly retrieve information, eliminating the need for additional officer training beyond an overview of the registry. Registry information is integrated with the department’s Be on the Look Out (BOLO) files, Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD), and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). BOLO files provide location and person-level information that are accessible to officers on patrol, and registry data are synced into CAD and GIS systems.

During an active response, a caller/caregiver can indicate that the individual is in the C.A.R.E registry to dispatchers. Registry information is then relayed via phone, computer, or police scanner to responding officer(s). Any call dispatched to a registrant’s residence also will alert the dispatcher and the responding officer to the information in the registry. If an officer searches the subject’s name during a response, the corresponding BOLO file would alert responding officers to investigate the registry.

To enroll new registrants, officers most often work directly with families they think would benefit. Police officers offer to enroll individuals on-scene during a response and work with families to complete the registry form electronically. There is no specific medical information or diagnosis required for registry entry. Lebanon Police Department’s C.A.R.E coordinator requests registry updates annually from families of registrants. At any time, individuals and their families may update their registry entry and withdraw their information upon request.