Support for Caregivers: How Project Safeguard Helps Families and First Responders

Caring for someone with special needs can sometimes be challenging, especially in times of emergency. That's where Project Safeguard comes in-a resource designed to bridge the gap between caregivers and law enforcement, ensuring quick, informed, and compassionate responses when it matters most.

Project Safeguard is an online database that gives police quick access to important information about individuals with special needs, especially those who have a tendency to wander, or need help from law enforcement periodically. Some of these special needs are persons on the autism spectrum, with dementia, or Alzheimer's.

Instant access to information helps officers respond quickly and effectively.

After the information is entered on the website, Salt Lake Valley Emergency will contact you, the parent or guardian, to verify it.

Officers that respond to these calls are usually part of Crisis Intervention Officers, a secondary and voluntary assignment. Each officer goes through a 40-hour state crisis intervention training with annual recertification. They are also required to attend the department's mandatory inservice training, which covers crisis intervention, de-escalation, autism awareness, and other training.

To make sure information is up to date, the entry needs to be reviewed and renewed or removed every 12 months; Participants will be notified before the entry expires.