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New 'Special Persons Registration Form'

Citrus County Chronicle - 5/30/2017

SO YOU KNOW

- To fill out a Citrus County Sheriff's Office Special Persons Registration Form online, visit www.sheriffcitrus.org/how-do-i.php and click on "Register Someone with Autism/Dementia."

Buster Thompson

Staff writer

Last July, a woman called the North Miami Police Department to report a possibly suicidal man walking down a street and clutching what appeared to be a handgun.

That man was 26-year-old Arnaldo Rios, a severely autistic man who had wandered away from a group home, according to news reports.

What was thought to be a firearm was actually a silver toy truck.

Rios' caregiver, Charles Kinsey, went outside to coax Rios back home as Police Officer Jonathan Aledda arrived on scene. Unaware of Rios' mental state and believing he was armed and dangerous, Aledda drew his firearm.

As Rios continued playing with his toy truck, Kinsey went on his back, arms raised, and pleaded with Aledda not to shoot. Aledda still fired three rounds at Kinsey and Rios, striking Kinsey and wounding him.

Following the shooting, prosecutors charged Aledda in April with attempted manslaughter and culpable negligence.

That incident between police and Rios spurred a group of parents and caregivers of children, teens and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities to approach the Citrus County Sheriff's Office to ask how the agency would make sure that does not happen.

Sheriff's Captain Justin Ferrara and Law Enforcement Academy Director Dave Vincent met with the group to reassure them that their deputies receive additional training on how to interact with those who have special needs.

But the group also asked Ferrara and Vincent if there was a way for police to know about where individuals with behavioral or mental disabilities live, so responders could be more prepared for who they might interact with before arriving at an emergency call.

Through their dispatch system, responders can know if someone living at an address has a criminal history, is a sex offender or is dangerous, Ferrara said.

That led Ferrara and Vincent to implement a form, known as the "Special Persons Registration Form," for caretakers to fill out to inform the sheriff's office where those with developmental disabilities, dementia and Alzheimer's live.

"We believe it's a tool that we can put out there for flagging a residence," Ferrara said. "It's a lot better to know what you're going into...."

This form provides a description of the individual, where they live, what their caregiver's contact information is, if they have a scent kit and what their triggers are.

Ferrara said many people with autism, for instance, are sensitive to flashing lights and loud noises.

Knowing what triggers someone to become combative can help ease tensions and resolve emergencies more easily.

"If they're already in a heightened mode, me having that strong officer presence isn't going to work here," Ferrara said.

To fill out a Citrus County Sheriff's Office Special Persons Registration Form online, visit www.sheriffcitrus.org/how-do-i.php and click on "Register Someone with Autism/Dementia."