WARREN, Mich. (WXYZ) — The Warren Police Department is launching a new partnership with the S.A.V.E.S. Project to improve how officers interact with some of the community's most vulnerable residents.
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For many, a police encounter can be one of the most stressful moments in their lives. The new initiative is designed to give officers better tools and residents more confidence when they need help the most. The nonprofit helps law enforcement agencies better support residents with cognitive and developmental differences.
Karen Keffer with the Warren ADA Commission supports the initiative.
"It's a great program. It helps eliminate fear and miscommunication," Keffer said.
Warren Police Officer Thomas Hogue is a founding member of the S.A.V.E.S. Project. He started it after thinking about his 8-year-old daughter, who has autism.
"There needs to be a system that can help my daughter after and I thought S.A.V.E.S. Again, if she's ever in a rollover accident, God forbid, or some kind of emergency situation, officers can figure out information," Hogue said.
On Thursday, Warren police introduced the new resources to residents and helped them register for the specialized support during emergencies.
Sarah Walko registered for the program. She has epilepsy and wanted law enforcement to know how to respond if she ever has a seizure.
"I thought this would be a good way to kind of be proactive with problem solving going forward should I ever have to have an interaction with a police officer," Walko said. "I think it will do wonders for taking down boundaries and barriers that kind of cause miscommunication problems between departments and the general public."
With the S.A.V.E.S. Project, information is uploaded to a secure database that other participating law enforcement agencies can access. Anyone who registers with Warren's program will receive a blue folder with information about it, a sticker for their vehicle to alert law enforcement they are registered and a blue envelope to keep in their car.
Heather Zielinski is the executive director of the Autism Society of Greater Detroit.
"Working with local police departments to create programs like this help address a portion of the population that, what I like to call, has quirks or obstacles that need to be overcome to have their interaction positive," Zielinski said.
Warren Police Commissioner Eric Hawkins says the goal is for every officer in the department to receive the training.
"We want every single officer in this department to get that training, so they have this awareness," Hawkins said.
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