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Hummelstown launches ‘Handle with care’ registry to help borough protect those with mental health issues

Patriot-News - 4/22/2022

The Hummelstown Borough Police Department has launched a new, voluntary program that helps officers identify community members who may need special care.

The “Handle with Care” program creates an opt-in registry of individuals with Autism, or who suffer from illnesses such as Alzheimer’s or Dementia, to help officers in potentially dangerous situations, according to a news release by the Hummelstown Borough Police department.

“Every single shift an officer works, they’re dealing with people with a diminished capacity,” said Police Chief Justin Hess. “I think this program is going to be efficient to deal with these people in an appropriate manner so we’re able to accomplish their needs on a regular basis,”

The registry will have contact information for loved ones as well as descriptions and photos to assist officers in identifying individuals who may be non-verbal or cannot remember who they are or where they live, police said.

The impetus for this new program came about a year ago when officers were dispatched to help a 6 or 7-year-old who appeared to be lost, Hess said. When officers arrived on-scene, they discovered the child was non-verbal and seemed autistic. They did not know how to get him back home, according to Hess.

After they resolved that situation, Hess started looking for solutions that could help officers and the public in the future. He found “Take me home,” a program out of Florida. But days into integrating that program, Crimewatch, a platform Hummelstown and many other agencies in the area already use, released “Handle with Care” which provided a similar function.

“It was a much better fit for us,” Hess said.

Handle with Care was released about three weeks ago, and according to Hess, it has taken off. Within a few days, the program garnered more than a dozen entries, and Hess said he hopes it will take off.

“It’s going to be very successful,” Hess said. “It’s a huge asset to officers on the street each and every day.”

Individuals can fill out the form for free on the Hummelstown Borough Police Department Crimewatch page.

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