The Grand Island Police Department is revitalizing its Blue Hands Project, a registry program for people with autism and other developmental disabilities.
Under the program, parents, relatives and guardians provide police with detailed information about the routines, behavior and needs of those with disabilities, including Alzheimer’s, dementia and Down syndrome.
That information is of great benefit to officers who encounter those individuals on traffic stops and calls for service.
On the Blue Hands Project registration forms, people are asked the best method to approach individuals with special needs, and how to best de-escalate a situation if the person is excited or upset. Among other things, people are asked to list the vehicles the family normally uses.
“The information provided in this registry can provide timely and pertinent information on ways to communicate and assist with these persons during emergency situations,” says a handout from GIPD.
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“This service is free of charge and is a way for our community and their loved ones to know that the Grand Island Police Department and its officers care about their safety when assisting with persons with autism and disabilities,” says the handout.
Grand Island police offered the Blue Hands Project previously but it fell by the wayside, said GIPD Officer Bradley Brooks. Police Chief Kevin Denney would like to see the program started back up, Brooks said.
Brooks spoke at a gathering Thursday organized by The Arc of Central Nebraska in honor of March being Disability Awareness Month.
Brooks has a particular interest in helping people with disabilities and special needs. He and his wife have a 7-year-old daughter, Callie, who has Down syndrome.
Brooks encouraged people to list as much detail as possible when filling out a Blue Hands Project form.
Having that information reduces the time it takes to find people, he said.
A key piece of information is listing anything that the young people or adults are attracted to. They might be drawn to water, for instance, or lights and sound.
If someone is missing near a lake, “That’s the first place we’re going to go,” Brooks said.
His daughter is a great swimmer, so if she goes missing, water is the first place they check.
Callie, one of Brooks’ three children, also likes to sing. So if there’s music going on somewhere, that’s another good place to check.
People with disabilities might head to a grocery store that the family regularly visits, especially if a person at the store hands out free lollipops.
Some people with special needs also head for parks.
A couple of years ago, a child went missing, Brooks said. His mother said he might head for a red slide in a nearby park, which he liked.
“Sure enough he was just tucked up in there,” Brooks said.
When people call 911 about a missing person, the dispatcher will ask a few things right away, such as how long has the person been missing and what he or she was wearing. The caller will also be questioned about the missing person’s medical history.
If a person is diabetic, the dispatcher will want to know if he or she has an EpiPen “with them because they’re prone to bee stings, things like that,” Brooks said.
It’s also good to know if the missing person doesn’t like sirens. Officers won’t arrive with their lights and sirens on if they know those things should be avoided.
Brooks stressed how important it is to provide current photos. The appearance of young people can change quite a bit from month to month or year to year, said Brooks, who was speaking on Down syndrome Awareness Day.
Over the past 12 years, Brooks has gotten to know a young man with autism and his mother.
“And to this day, anytime he sees me, on duty, off duty, I always give him a hug, he always gives me a hug. We always check in with each other,” Brooks said.
On his first encounter with the young man, Brooks had to put him in the backseat of his patrol car to calm him down. They’ve been good friends ever since.
Once the young man got the help and the medication he needed, “It helped him out a lot,” he said.
Brooks is glad that new officers are receiving training in how to deal with people with special needs.
People not familiar with the challenges of raising such an individual may be quick to judge. On arrival, they might assume that the parents aren’t doing their jobs.
Those people don’t understand the full picture, he said. They might be seeing only 20 or 30 minutes of something the parent deals with all day long. “Sometimes, we’re worn out. Sometimes we need that reset,” Brooks said.
At a store, other shoppers might wonder why Brooks isn’t doing something when his daughter is causing a fuss. But he knows that after she has a moment, she’ll be fine.
Down the road, Brooks would like to see the Blue Hands program help parents have time for themselves. He’d also like to see a movie night for people with special needs.
When people have a child with Down syndrome, they’re often overwhelmed. It’s good for those parents to hear from others that it’s going to be all right, Brooks said.
Brooks would like to be “overloaded” with people signing up for the Blue Hands Project.
He also talked about a program called Project Lifesaver, which is used by the Hall County Sheriff’s Department. In that program, an electronic bracelet helps officers quickly locate a person with special needs.
It’s important for parents and caregivers to keep information updated, Brooks said. People should call in if they have a change of address, either within Grand Island or to a different city.
Having the information in the system will help find someone even if they’re in a different city, he said.
“We want to make sure your kiddo is taken care of,” Brooks said.
For information, call the Grand Island Police Department at 308-385-3400 or the Hall County Sheriff’s Department at 308-385-5200.