KOKOMO — A new program in Howard County aims to keep children and other vulnerable people safe.
Parents or guardians whose children or elders with autism or Alzheimer's can now fill out an emergency contact form with Kokomo Police Department.
The new program was started after KPD says they recently responded to a number of incidents involving children who are autistic running away from their caregivers.
“About a month ago, we had two or three calls in about a seven to 10 day period where children with autism had wandered away from their homes," Captain Purtee told WRTV. "Our officers get called either to a convenience store or the child walking down the sidewalk and we’ve determined they’ve had autism. If they’re non-verbal it makes it real hard on officers to reunite them with their family."
That process can take hours and relies on parents contacting police — which he says is often their last resort.
The ‘Identification Assistance Form’ is a resource parents or guardians can fill out that includes a photograph, a physical description of the person, which school they are attending, and if they have any medical conditions or allergies that the officer should be aware of.
“We have a system where it’s an inter-department system…They can simply go in, open the folder, scroll through, they can have all the forms at their access in just seconds," Capt. Purtee said.
Kylee Duke is a proud mom to her two children Gabi, 8, and Junior, 6.
Junior has autism and is prone to running or wandering away.
“He elopes a lot. He does it at school. He does it at home," Duke said. "I’ve had to get the home alarm systems if he opens the door it goes off. That scares him enough so he slams it shut."
She keeps a constant eye on her son to make sure he’s safe. But if he does slip away, she says it’s sheer terror.
“Freaking out. Instant panic," Duke said. "Got in the car, drove down here, came and got him. He’s just hanging out with the police officers like nothing was wrong."
Registered Behavioral Technician Presleigh Hodson says elopement, or wandering away, is common for children with autism.
“A lot of kids with autism don’t really understand the scariness of danger and roads and water. A lot of kids with autism will go to water and we have a lot of drownings with children who run away and elope from their home.”
Hodson works with Engaging Minds Autism Services of Kokomo, which partnered with KPD for this program.
She's hopeful it'll make things quicker and more efficient.
“It’s gonna cut out that time where that kid could get hit by a car. Where that kid could go drown," she said.
Six to eight parents have expressed interest in the form so far.
KPD estimates hundreds in Howard County and beyond could benefit.
Parents are encouraged to use the school resource officer at their child's school to fill out the form.
A parent can simply go to the school and an SRO will be happy to assist them. If this is not an option, any officer can complete the form.
A form can only be completed by a child's parent or legal guardian.
For adults, only their legal guardian can fill out the form.
Anyone that has questions about this new service is asked to contact Capt. Purtee at 765-456-7322.
