A phone call that can save a life

When a 30-year-old with autism died as police responded to a call for help at a Des Plaines group home, advocates pushed for a law.

Passed in 2007, two years after the death of Hansel "Yusuf" Cunningham III, police academies now are required to provide training in responding to children and adults with autism.

That training, however, isn't going to help unless police know someone has autism.

Itasca Police Deputy Chief Dean Myles, who serves on the board of Lombard-based Autism Society of Illinois, recognized the need for all emergency responders to have this kind of information before they arrive on a scene.

For three years, the department has invited residents to let them know about anyone with special needs. Knowing someone in a home is deaf, blind, paralyzed, autistic or suffers from Alzheimer's could significantly affect the way public safety personnel do their jobs. It could save lives.

Myles worked with Giant Steps, the Lisle-based school for children with autism, to bring the Itasca program statewide.

The Premise Alert Program creates a secure registry that 911 call centers can access and share with police, firefighters and paramedics. The law avoids putting additional cost on local government, noting it applies to 911 call centers that have the technology. If some suburban departments don't already have this capability, we encourage them to make sure future upgrades include equipment to log this vital information.

"We learned that people with autism and other disabilities are more likely to come in contact with police - not because they're doing anything wrong - but because of unusual behavior or other circumstances people might not understand," Myles told Daily Herald staff writer Elisabeth Mistretta, who wrote about the law earlier this month.

It is up to families to contact police and fire departments to register for this voluntary program. That's why we are using this space today to encourage people to call police and fire departments immediately. Let them know about anyone with physical disabilities, mental impairments, developmental disorders and other conditions that require services.

We've heard anecdotal stories about people who have called to offer this information in the past only to be told police don't keep that on file. We encourage you to call again.

Giant Steps also is offering training sessions to help families make the most of this new law. The sessions are 10:30 a.m. Wednesday and 7 p.m. Thursday at the school, 2500 Cabot Drive in Lisle. Call (630) 864-3800 to register.

It only makes sense that firefighters have warning if someone with a disability is in a home and police know that they're dealing with a deaf person who can't hear their commands. Too often, this kind of background is gathered as emergency personnel arrive at a scene.

This information has the potential to save lives. Make sure the right people have it.