Sonora police start county’s first-ever Autism Safety Alert. Here’s how it’s meant to help
A Sonora mom and the city’s Police Department worked together to create Tuolumne County’s first-ever Autism Safety Alert program.
The newly implemented procedure should help bridge the communication gap when individuals with autism might not be able to share important information like their name, address and phone number, the department said in a Facebook post.
Brittaney Sutton’s son, Wyatt, was diagnosed with autism at 2 years old. He was nonverbal, would not respond to his name, had no sense of danger and loved to be outside, she said.
“There have been instances where he has suddenly bolted or eloped,” Sutton said. “These instances were incredibly frightening.”
Sutton reached out to the Sonora Police Department on Facebook to ask if it had a program in place similar to one she saw in a post from an agency in a different state. The department didn’t, but was interested.
“As a parent, I’m by no means an expert on any of those things,” Sutton said. “But I believe that, together, we came up with a great form for the program.”
Here’s how the safety alert form works, and how you can submit one whether you live in Sonora or not:
How the form works
After the form was drafted, the Police Department consulted with Autism Safety 101 to make sure officers were using the best practices and the most current information, said Officer Thomas Brickley.
It includes information about communication abilities, unique behaviors, likes, dislikes and ways to help communicate and calm the individual.
“This is a form that will need to be updated annually or as the individual with autism grows, develops or (whose) needs or challenges change,” Sutton said.
The department encourages people to include a photo of the person for whom they are filling out the form, Brickley said.
Brickley said with this program, if the department gets a call for a person acting out of the ordinary, officers can establish that the person is on the autism spectrum.
“That can really change the way that we’re going to handle that situation,” Brickley said. “It really helps guide our investigation and make sure we go down the right avenues and get the right people involved.”
How to submit a form to Sonora police
Brickley said there are two options for filling out and turning in the form.
Interested persons can pick up a form or print one out and bring it to the Sonora Police Department’s lobby, or they can visit the department’s website, complete the PDF fillable form and email it to the listed address.
“You don’t have to be a resident of Sonora to participate in the program, as we know many people from out of the area frequent our city,” the department said in the post.
The Modesto Police Department does not have a similar program, a spokesperson told The Bee.
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