Waterford Police Partner With the S.A.V.E.S. PROJECT

The Waterford Police Department has partnered with the “S.A.V.E.S. PROJECT” to help promote better communication between first responders and individuals living with cognitive or developmental challenges; Special-needs, Autism, Vulnerable-persons, Elderly, Safety (S.A.V.E.S.). The S.A.V.E.S. PROJECT is built on the belief that “everyone deserves to feel safe during moments of crisis or confusion”. See www.savesproject.com for more information.

Waterford residents that have a vulnerable family member can register that family member by completing a S.A.V.E.S. PROJECT “Personal Emergency Profile” form, then returning the completed form to the Waterford Police Department by scanning and emailing to Maria Strom at mstrom@waterfordmi.goWhen the form is completed and returned, we will enter that person’s information into the S.A.V.E.S. PROJECT database and their Waterford address will be flagged in our 911 database as well. Once registration is complete, we will mail the family a package containing the following:
Informational handouts on:

• Autism & Wandering Prevention Tips
• Understanding Dementia
• Asperger’s Syndrome and High Functioning Autism
• Home Safety Checklist

Blue Envelope Program:
This program provides special needs individuals that drive and may have trouble communicating with Police, with forms to be pre-filled and placed into a blue envelope to be kept in their car. If they find themselves on a traffic stop or another situation where a Police Officer is asking for their ID/information, they can give the Officer the blue envelope with contains:

• Copies of driver’s license, registration, and proof of insurance
• “About Me” information form
• “DRIVER HAS SPECIAL NEEDS” announcement on the outside of the blue envelope, indicating speaking or non-speaking, and describing condition or impairment
• S.A.V.E.S. PROJECT vehicle window sticker to help with Police Officers awareness
• QR Code stickers that can be attached to cell phones, backpacks, etc., can be scanned to identify a vulnerable person based on their S.A.V.E.S PROJECT registration information