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Sheriff proposes voluntary registry and vehicle/home markers to flag sensory and cognitive needs
Summary
Sheriff Mack asked the board to support a voluntary community registry that would let caregivers register residents with sensory or cognitive needs so 911 and responding officers can adjust approach and communication; registration is voluntary, caregiver-attested and will populate the county CAD and 911 systems, officials said.
Sheriff Mack introduced a voluntary "approach to care" registry intended to help officers and 911 telecommunicators identify residents with sensory needs, autism or intellectual disabilities and to tailor responses during traffic stops and house calls. He said the program would rely on caregiver-submitted registrations and nonmedical indicators such as vehicle stickers and a standard "blue envelope" cue for homes. "If we stop Rob, your information once we run your information it will populate into our CAD system and that will tell us hey this person in this car may have a sensory need that we need to approach them differently," the sheriff said.
The county will publicize a digital registration form and make hard-copy forms available at the Sheriffs Office, staff said. Shantae Alexander, who identified herself as the point of contact for the program, told commissioners the form does not require physician documentation; caregivers provide sensory descriptors (sound, light sensitivity, other triggers) and the program is explicitly voluntary. Alexander said the county plans to track program interactions and outcomes through 911 so the office can evaluate what works and what should change.
Commissioners asked about privacy, authority to register others, and cross-agency rollout. The county acknowledged data privacy concerns and said it would limit registrations to caregiver attestation to avoid HIPAA exposure; the sheriffs office will coordinate training and work with municipal police departments and ambulance services so the indicator is uniform across jurisdictions. The sheriff said the program team is piloting placement standards for stickers and home indicators to ensure first responders know where to look.
Advocates and staff described nontechnical strategies intended to reduce stress during contacts, from removing shiny badges to providing bubbles for children with sensory triggers. The sheriff said local jurisdictions (Oxford, Creedmoor and others) have been contacted and the program is intended to be countywide rather than limited to a single jurisdiction.
Next steps: staff will continue training for first responders, finalize the registration form and community outreach plan, and monitor the CAD-911 integration. The program is informational; commissioners did not vote on an ordinance or formal policy change at the meeting.
