Oct. 6. The Davidson Police Department has joined the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) and Huntersville Police Department in the launching of a new program called Safe Outcomes.
Davidson Police Chief Peggy Dunn
The program, identified by CMPD and integrated with police dispatching by CMPD, will provide information to officers in the field when encountering an individual with disabilities, illness or special conditions that impact their lives.
“This is a program long sought after for our region to connect family members and public safety first-responders with information on a loved one living in their jurisdiction,” says Davidson Chief of Police Penny Dunn.
Cornelius, which has its own Telecommunications Center, is looking at how it may develop and launch a similar program that gives residents “the ability to self-report this valuable information so the police can better serve them during times of need,” Cornelius Police Chief Kevin Black says.
Cornelius Police Chief Kevin Black
“The Cornelius Police Department does not have a formalized program similar to the Safe Outcomes program. We do have the ability to and often flag known locations with similar information in our CAD system,” or computer-aided dispatch system, Black said in an email.
“The flagging of these locations is officer-driven and most often is a result in the officer adding the location after having responded to a call for service,” Black said.
Safe Outcomes works by integrating personal data into the Computer-Aided-Dispatch system for the Davidson, Huntersville and Charlotte departments. Officers will be sent a CAD message with a link providing a person’s data by their address and given information such as: type of disability (brain injury, seizure disorder, intellectual delay, autism, dementia, etc.), preferred language, communication type, approach suggestions, noted behaviors, and special considerations such as touch sensitive, light or noise sensitive, fear of dogs, paranoia, tendency to run.
This is valuable information to police officers and families of individuals who, due to a medical condition, may wander from home or be uncooperative, frightened or belligerent when someone encounters them, according to the Davidson release.
Davidson residents will be able to create an account and then enter helpful information about a family member. The data will be vetted by personal contact with the account holder before being approved for entry into the CAD system to link first responders to the vital information. The process takes approximately 10 days before activation.
“Adding the Safe Outcomes program will help our officers to better serve the Davidson community, especially those individuals and families who would benefit from such a specialized approach,” Dunn says. “I really encourage as many people as possible to create an account and participate, as this tool will greatly enhance the department’s abilities to meaningfully engage with each and every resident.”
For more information, see www.townofdavidson.org/safeoutcomes.
