Yorktown Police Launch Mental Health Registry to Curb 911 Tragedies
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By Rick Pezzullo
The Yorktown Police Department last week launched its First Responders Resident Alert Registry, one of the first registries in New York designed to improve responses to the homes of residents with special needs.
The goal of the registry is to reduce emotional trauma, fear and conflict when first responders have contact with special needs residents by providing responders with essential information before arriving.
“Police agencies are constantly seeking to improve relationships with the special needs community, whose members are more likely to be misunderstood or injured during law enforcement actions,” said Yorktown Police Chief Robert Noble. “This voluntary and secure database contains personal information about individuals with special needs, such as diagnoses or communication preference. The registry will help law enforcement officers respond more effectively to situations involving individuals with special needs.”
“We’re always seeking win-win scenarios. We’re hopeful that this registry will keep the public, as well as our officers, safer,” he added.
The First Responders Alert Registry will provide officers with the information needed to better interact and communicate with a resident in need, as well as provide the officer with the person’s contact information.
Personal information contained in the registry will remain confidential according to federal HIPAA regulations and it is for emergencies only. Personal information will not result in a change of standard police, fire, or EMS emergency procedures.
All personal information will remain in the first responders’ secure files until a resident or caregiver asks for its removal.
“Our Town Board and police department are implementing innovative practices and policies that serve residents of all needs and abilities,” said Supervisor Matt Slater. “I commend the police department for taking this proactive step that seeks to avoid the outcomes we’ve seen across the nation and in Westchester County when an encounter between police and an emotionally disturbed person goes wrong.”
To register for the First Responders Alert Registry, an individual must complete the First Responders Alert Registry Form and submit it to the Yorktown Police Department in person, by mail or via the YPD website, www.yorktownpd.org. Police request a photograph of the person with special needs or a disability with the registry form.
Parents and caregivers may enroll a person of any age with any type of medical condition or disability, including but not limited to autism spectrum disorder, Alzheimer’s or dementia, bipolar disorder and Down syndrome. Adults with disabilities may also enroll themselves.
“This is something I wish I had when I was a police officer. The anxiety that you have going into a call cannot be explained because you don’t know what you are walking into. Having this amount of knowledge is a wonderful thing,” said Councilman Tom Diana.
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