The Richardson Police Department is the latest agency in North Texas to adopt a program designed to help law enforcement better assist people with cognitive or developmental disabilities.
The Take Me Home program is a statewide initiative that will allow officers and 911 dispatchers to access information that will help them identify people who have difficulty communicating — and reconnect them with their families. The database will include information such as physical identifiers, habits and communication concerns.
In a video explaining the program, Richardson Police Chief Gary Tittle said it’s to help police reunify people who might not be able to communicate their names or where they live with their families.
“There's always that panic and ... that need to better and more quickly reunify that individual with their loved one or caregivers,” Tittle said.
Other cities that have implemented the program include McKinney and Plano.
“At the end of the day, when my students go home, I know that they're going home and they have a safety net," Plano ISD special education teacher Tiffany Jonston says in the video.
An application to the Take Me Home program can be completed on the Richardson Police Department’s website.
Priscilla Rice is KERA’s communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
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