Local nonprofit proposes discreet mental‑health decal for homes to help first responders

Dawn Hanley, president of the local nonprofit Speak Up Let's Talk About Mental Health, urged the Public Safety Coordinating Council to support a discreet window decal her group developed to alert first responders to a possible mental health crisis at a home.

Hanley, who spoke about her son Scott’s struggles with schizophrenia and his death by suicide, said the decal uses a honeycomb motif and the dopamine molecule to avoid stigmatizing language while still signaling to trained officers that a different approach may be needed. “If law enforcement, first responders saw a symbol that was on their window or on the front door when they walked up … maybe they would be able to just take a second and think how they're gonna interact with that person,” Hanley said.

The nut graf: Hanley said the decals have been distributed only through law enforcement contacts, crisis intervention team (CIT) trainings and discharge planners in Pasco County, where roughly 400 stickers were given out, and she asked the council to consider expanding the initiative in Hillsborough County while ensuring officers and dispatchers are trained on the symbol’s meaning.

Council members and staff supported the idea but raised questions about integration and design. “What I specifically like about yours is it's somewhat stigma reducing because if you don't know, you don't know,” said Robert Parkinson, staff member, who suggested linking the decal to county programs and dispatch information so officers could get calming techniques and context ahead of a call. Parkinson also noted Hillsborough County already runs CIT programs and a Special Needs Registry with a window‑sticker component.

Clerk Victor Christ, speaking with his communications experience in mind, urged Hanley to consider simplifying the mark so it reads quickly to responders. “Generally, they try to be block in nature and much more simpler in scope, and this doesn't quite fit that format,” Christ said, recommending focus‑group testing and a simpler, high‑contrast design.

Hanley said Speak Up fully funds the program, that the decal is registered as a mark with the state of Florida, and that distribution would be limited to trained outlets so families avoid false expectations. She described the rollout used in Pasco County — distributing decals at CIT trainings, through sheriff’s staff and via behavioral‑health discharge planners — and said the group would not make the decals broadly available until law enforcement and other responders know their meaning.

Council members suggested next steps such as coordinating with local CIT trainers, court administrators and organizations like NAMI, and testing a simplified symbol. Hanley accepted the feedback and said she would pursue further collaboration with county contacts and court administration.

The presentation concluded with members thanking Hanley for her work and for the personal advocacy that informed the decal proposal.

Ending: Council members asked Hanley to follow up with representatives from Tampa Police Department, the sheriff's office and court administration to coordinate training and distribution before wider release.