MONROE COUNTY, Mich. – Monroe County has launched a new enrollment-based initiative called the SAFE Program, designed to improve communication between first responders and residents with disabilities or special needs.
Organizers say the program will help first responders know crucial information about a resident before arriving on scene. Information, first responders say, that can reduce confusion, avoid escalation, and potentially prevent use-of-force incidents.
Sheriff Troy Goodnough said nationwide, law enforcement and other first responders have repeatedly seen situations in which emergency personnel arrive on a call without knowing whether the person they are encountering has a disability.
“And we always come back to the same thing if we only had known,” Goodnough said. He added that not knowing an individual’s condition has, unfortunately, led to interactions where force was used.
The SAFE Program allows Monroe County residents to enroll and provide details that first responders can access when responding to emergencies.
Enrollment information can include things that help responders approach and communicate with a person safely.
“It gives them indicators of what agitates them, what calms them down, even the opportunity to attach a photograph,” Goodnough added.
Goodnough and organizers recommend that families and residents consider enrolling loved ones who have disabilities or special needs, including but not limited to:
- Autism
- ADHD
- Down syndrome
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Brain injury
- PTSD
- Diabetes
- Autoimmune disorders
- Deafness or blindness
- Intellectual or developmental disabilities
- Chronic illness
Lisa Graham of the Monroe County Mental Health Authority said the program will give families confidence that the response to emergencies will be appropriate and safer for their loved ones.
“This will allow people, families, to feel much more comfortable getting a really good, safe, and appropriate response for their loved one,” Graham said.
The SAFE Program is available only to residents of Monroe County.
Enrollment is completed online and is described as easy by county officials.
Once enrolled, residents receive a decal that can be placed in the window of a home or vehicle to alert first responders that the household or individual is part of the SAFE Program.
Click here for details about eligibility, enrollment, and other program questions, or email safe_program@monroemi.org.