Sand Springs Launches New SAID Program To Improve Emergency Response For Those With Special Needs

The Sand Springs Police and Fire Department said the more information they have when responding to calls for help, the better.

That's the goal of the city's new Special Needs Alert and Identification Program (SAID),

Sergeant Kyle Alexander wants to ensure the best response possible in case of an emergency for families with members who have special needs.

He was inspired to create something like the SAID program after working on a case where a young girl who was nonverbal had wandered off.

"We got her back home and I was talking to my lieutenant, is there anything with our records management system in case of an officer that has not dealt with this child or other children to develop some sort of database to help us get them reunified with their families faster and he said to run with it so I started digging into it, so I was just going to get this thing developed," said Sgt. Alexander with Sand Springs Police.

He reached out to other departments and officers with knowledge of how to handle and diffuse situations involving people with special needs and adopted a program from the Norman Police Department.

He launched his version just last week where parents or caregivers can fill out this form to provide information that would best serve the needs of the person during an emergency.

"I just got a form today that said when this person gets upset they start pacing, you know we might look at that differently, but if we know that that is a behavior that they are going to exhibit when they are upset then you know we know hey it's ok, keep walking if it's going to help you out," Sgt. Alexander said.

Police said the information is private and will only be available to the fire and police departments and any other people responding to the call.

For more information and to fill out the form, it's available on the city's website HERE.