EPHRATA, Wash. (08MAY2014) -- On May 17th 2014 the Grant County Sheriff’s Office along with the Autism Society of Grant County will host an event for the benefit of vulnerable adults and children. It will be held at Patrick Park in Ephrata from 11am to 1pm in conjunction with the annual Autism Awareness Family walk, and will include information and resources available to families of persons dealing with the challenges of autism, Asperger’s, Alzheimer’s, or other conditions which put them at risk. These are people who do not behave in the expected way and may need extra care when contacted by law enforcement.
Deputies, staff, and volunteers will be on hand in the Grant County Sheriff’s Office mobile command center to assist anyone wishing to register vulnerable persons into the common database used by Grant County emergency services. They also allow a photograph to be taken of the vulnerable person (headshot). The information and their photo are then added to the database by volunteers at the event. Vulnerable persons are flagged in the database and can be searched when needed by law enforcement. Having the information will aid law enforcement and EMS personnel help vulnerable persons who may be lost, in need of assistance, or in the event of an emergency.
We anticipate that this will become an annual event where information changes can be updated as children grow and appearances change.
Assistance will also be provided for those who speak Spanish.
Anyone wishing to have someone registered as a vulnerable person can contact Deb Shay at the Grant County Sheriff’s Office at 509-754-2011 ext. 468. For more information or questions about the event contact Laura Jacobsen with the Autism Society of Grant County at 509-717-0076.
