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ECSO Launches Program To Alert First Responders To Those With Autism
September 23, 2021
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office has launched a new program to alert all first responders that an autistic person may reside in a home or be an occupant in a vehicle.
“The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office is committed to keeping all Escambia County residents safe,” Sheriff Chip Simmons said. “This includes those with autism and their families.”
The new “Occupant with Autism” program provides decals at no charge that can be placed on the door or front window of a home, or on the rear window of a vehicle. The decal acts as a symbol, allowing first responders to know that they’re may be a person inside with autism. ECSO deputies will then know to approach the situation using their autism training skills.
To participate in the program, click or tap here to fill out a form and the decals will be mailed free of charge. If persons do not want to place the decal on their home or vehicle, their information can still be flagged in the ECSO system.
“The more information deputies have when responding to a call, the better,” Simmons said.
Comments
4 Responses to “ECSO Launches Program To Alert First Responders To Those With Autism”
A great idea but a little out over the skis on this one.We all know what a crazy world we now live in. With so many criminals, cruel people and drug addicts, that star basically marks people as easy targets for fraud, scam, deception, robbery or worse. Displaying personal private medical information so publicly is never a good idea. However, a big thumbs up for having the information on file so dispatchers can alert deputies when responding to a residence.
I am autistic and have mixed feelings. On one hand, it would help Law Enforcement Officers. On the other hand, I am very concerned this may lead to harassment of autistic drivers by the general public. There are some who would try to cause an autistic driver to crash or provoke them into something stupid.
I feel this is very well intentioned and the Escambia County Police will be working on this.
They need to do this for a lot of disorders. Diabetes, non-verbal, deaf, stroke, etc. Like a medical alert for your home and car.
This is awesome! They should also include mental illness in this program.