CARMEL- Special education parent-teacher organizations in Putnam’s two largest school districts have reminded families and friends of individuals with special needs to register for the SafeMe program available at the Carmel Police Department and East Fishkill Police Department.
SafeMe began as a collaborative effort between the Carmel Police Department’s Community Relations Team and the Mahopac and Carmel School Districts’ Special Education Parent Teacher Organizations, to aid first responders in quickly getting vital information about special needs individuals who are non-verbal or otherwise unable to communicate at the scene of an emergency as a result of autism, developmental disabilities, medical needs, dementia, or Alzheimer’s—prone to elopements, emotional dis-regulation or in need of specialized assistance.
Carmel PD Chief Anthony Hoffmann said a Safe Me sticker can be affixed to a vehicle or a home, and a QR code will scan to the main telephone number of the first responder agency that keeps the vital information on file.
According to the chief, participants submit a form with a photo and details to their local police, receiving a sticker with a QR code and ID number for a vehicle or home to alert officers during an incident.
The Safe Me program has also grown to a number of agencies in Westchester and Orange Counties in addition to the Rochester Police Department in Massachusetts.
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