Advisory
Police Using Communication Cards
South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka and Township Manager Bernard P. Hvozdovic Jr announced Wednesday that they have created a new communication tool that will ease interactions between law enforcement and individuals who are deaf or have partial hearing loss. This new tool is a communication card which is designed to be stored on a sun visor, in a bag or backpack, or on a passenger seat for easy access.
One side of the card notifies law enforcement that the person is either deaf or has partial hearing loss. It offers quick tips to facilitate communication, including, but not limited to, “Get my attention first,” “Make eye contact when you speak,” and “I cannot lip-read everything you say.” Icons on the card also indicate the best form of communication, and the person can point to either “Interpreter,” “Texting,” “Writing,” “Lip-reading,” “No lip-read,” or “Assistive listening device.”
The second side of the card allows for an officer to point to an image of either a driver’s license, an insurance card or a registration card to indicate what the officer needs to see. The card also lists a variety of icons that describe what the person’s violation is, including, but not limited to, a speed limit sign, a stop sign, and a symbol of alcohol and drugs.
If a person is in need of assistance, the help section allows him or her to select from icons displaying a gas station, the word “lost”, a hospital, a flat tire and a tow truck.
The card can be downloaded to print from the South Brunswick Police Department’s website at www.sbtnj.net under Departments/Police. It can also be saved to a smartphone.
Chief Hayducka said “We want to be able to reach out to any person who needs our assistance. We created training and equipped each patrol car with the card”. Township Manager Hvozdovic Jr, who is Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator said, “These cards will help in day to day interaction as well as travelers visiting our community. We have over 2,000 hotel rooms and visitors come from around the world to visit Princeton, Rutgers, Dow Jones and other businesses”.
The officials believe the cards will help in reducing anxiety in time of need and assist officers. The card was modeled from cards that exist in other states.
“There are similar cards used in other States and we believe this could become a model for New Jersey,” said Chief Hayducka.
To have a PDF of the card sent to you, please email South Brunswick Police Support Services at [email protected].
Police Using Communication Cards 
Innovative Program Looks To Expand Police Ability to Communicate with the Deaf
South Brunswick Police Chief Raymond Hayducka and Township Manager Bernard P. Hvozdovic Jr announced Wednesday that they have created a new communication tool that will ease interactions between law enforcement and individuals who are deaf or have partial hearing loss. This new tool is a communication card which is designed to be stored on a sun visor, in a bag or backpack, or on a passenger seat for easy access.
One side of the card notifies law enforcement that the person is either deaf or has partial hearing loss. It offers quick tips to facilitate communication, including, but not limited to, “Get my attention first,” “Make eye contact when you speak,” and “I cannot lip-read everything you say.” Icons on the card also indicate the best form of communication, and the person can point to either “Interpreter,” “Texting,” “Writing,” “Lip-reading,” “No lip-read,” or “Assistive listening device.”
The second side of the card allows for an officer to point to an image of either a driver’s license, an insurance card or a registration card to indicate what the officer needs to see. The card also lists a variety of icons that describe what the person’s violation is, including, but not limited to, a speed limit sign, a stop sign, and a symbol of alcohol and drugs.
If a person is in need of assistance, the help section allows him or her to select from icons displaying a gas station, the word “lost”, a hospital, a flat tire and a tow truck.
The card can be downloaded to print from the South Brunswick Police Department’s website at www.sbtnj.net under Departments/Police. It can also be saved to a smartphone.
Chief Hayducka said “We want to be able to reach out to any person who needs our assistance. We created training and equipped each patrol car with the card”. Township Manager Hvozdovic Jr, who is Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator said, “These cards will help in day to day interaction as well as travelers visiting our community. We have over 2,000 hotel rooms and visitors come from around the world to visit Princeton, Rutgers, Dow Jones and other businesses”.
The officials believe the cards will help in reducing anxiety in time of need and assist officers. The card was modeled from cards that exist in other states.
“There are similar cards used in other States and we believe this could become a model for New Jersey,” said Chief Hayducka.
To have a PDF of the card sent to you, please email South Brunswick Police Support Services at [email protected].
Address/Location
South Brunswick Twp Police Department
540 Ridge Rd
South Brunswick Township, NJ 08852
Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 732-329-4646
