Dear Spring Lake Residents;
The Spring Lake Police Department is starting a new program and I would like to take this opportunity to introduce it to you. Here in Spring Lake we pride ourselves on our great sense of community. Our Police Department supports and reflects this culture. Our police officers are present in our schools, at our recreation basketball games, walking down Third Avenue we are a part of your community and we take pride in knowing as many of you as we can personally.
In keeping with this, it is even more important that ALL of our officers know our residents who may have needs that we would not otherwise be aware of. At its heart, this program was born in response to a common tendency for children and adults with autism to wander away from their safe environment. By creating an informational database we believe we can have individualized information on our residents that will be beneficial in helping to return them to safety. In conjunction with this, it will serve to help our officers react appropriately should we encounter any of our residents who may have any variety of special needs. Therefore, we are launching the Spring Lake Police Department C.A.R.E. Program the Children And Resident Encounter program. By completing the attached form, you can register a loved one in your household into our program. All officers will have access to this information and I believe it will help us to better serve ALL residents of our community with sensitivity and awareness.
Below is a list of possible reasons to take advantage of our program, but it is by no means limiting. If there is another condition or diagnosis within your household that we should be aware of to give you the best possible assistance, please complete the attached forms.
The Spring Lake Police Department C.A.R.E. program is for:
- children or adults with autism
- adults with dementia or Alzheimers
- children or adults that uses a wheelchair or other mobility devices
- children or adults who are non-verbal
- children or adults with Down Syndrome
If you have any questions about the program please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Chief Edward M. Kerr, Jr.
