BOISE, Idaho — A registry in Ada County is helping officers respond and protect some of our community's most vulnerable populations.
The Ada County Vulnerable Population Registry is meant to help first responders and dispatchers connect and better communicate when working on calls involving members of a vulnerable population. The resource allows dispatch and officers in the field to quickly search a database and help vulnerable people reunite with their families.
The registry was created by a few dispatchers who had members of their families with Alzheimer's or autism.
"It went live in 2021, and we've had some pretty good success with it," ACSO Dispatch Captain Zack Walls said. "We have a little over 130 people signed up on the registry."
Officers can address the specific needs someone may have by using the registry, which is intended for residents with Alzheimer's, dementia patients, people with autism, or people who may have conditions that make them nonverbal.
"If an officer or paramedics or firefighters find somebody who appears to be disoriented or lost - and they're able to obtain their name, they can ask the dispatch center to run that name," Walls said. "If that person has been entered in the registry, we can utilize that information to get them in touch with their family. "
The information can also be used to help de-escalate a situation or let officers know what someone may best respond to.
Recently, the database was used to help find a missing child with autism in Kuna find their family.
"The child wandered off, officers found the child and we were able to quickly reunite the child with his family based on the information that had been entered into ARVAP by the family members," Walls said. "So it was really helpful for the deputies in that instance to very quickly reunite the child with their family."
Information provided for the registry is voluntary and only accessible to first responders and dispatch. Information has to be renewed every year.
To enroll in the registry, click here.
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