HARDEE COUNTY, Fla. — To be a parent is to worry a lot, and parents like Jamie Samuels have to worry even more as the mother of an autistic son.
Eli, 9, has a big personality. He’s friendly and outgoing. According to Eli, he loves his school teachers and math — when it’s easy.
“Eli is high functioning,” Samuels smiled.
Sometimes, though, the simplest tasks can be the hardest.
“Oftentimes, it does take weeks or months of therapy just to teach him one simple task,” Samuels said. “It can just be what someone would say is common sense or just following the leader.”
That’s the reason Samuels was quick to take advantage of a new tool in Hardee County.
The Hardee County Sheriff’s Office recently unveiled decals that parents like Samuels — who lives in Bowling Green — can adhere to the front doors of their homes and back windows of their cars.
According to Sheriff Vent Crawford, during a traffic stop or police call, the stickers will give deputies a heads up of who might be inside; how they might act if they see lights or hear sirens; why they might appear combative, belligerent, or uncooperative; and why they might not answer deputies’ questions.
“These stickers are going to educate our responding first responders,” the sheriff said.
To receive the decals, an applicant will fill out a form to give deputies “detailed information regarding the potential reaction or level of cooperation they should expect from the person of needs.” According to Crawford, deputies will have quick access to that information, which he believes could save lives by helping responders de-escalate tricky situations.
“The situation won’t escalate where use of force or use of control will have to be used,” he said.
Sandra Shoffner, who has a son on the autism spectrum, helped Crawford initiate the program — dubbed the SAFE Program — in Hardee County.
“This is really an excellent thing, I think anybody who hears about it would get behind it," she said. "Seeing (an officer) who, you know, could seem intimidating at the window talking to mom or dad, that could be scary for any child, I believe, and potentially very frightening for someone who doesn’t understand the situation.”
The SAFE Program started in the Panhandle. There, Angela Nandin, the mother of three autistic boys, helped the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office launch the program last year.
“I got into a horrific car accident in 2017, and it just made me think, how would you know that my children have autism,” she said, in part. “Somebody who’s on narcotics has certain characteristics of somebody who is stimming, you know, who has autism, so this was a great way to bridge a gap and build a beautiful relationship.”
Nandin went to her sheriff, Bob Johnson, who she said was more than willing to help.
“This is a matter of safety, and let’s set our first responders up to help us in the event of a crisis,” she said. “And I’m so happy for the community of Hardee and their disabled community to feel what we feel in Santa Rosa County, which is we’re all in this together.”
Nandin says the SAFE Program is special because it goes beyond autism. She says the stickers can also be used to alert deputies of someone who may have diabetes and low blood Alzheimer's disease or someone who has any other condition that impacts their communication or behavior.
“My sheriff will even say somebody who has PTSD,” she added.
April DiRuzzo’s son has cerebral palsy. The Wauchula mother was quick to fill out the form and receive decals from the Hardee County Sheriff’s Office. Now, she hopes other sheriffs will help the idea spread.
“So that way, we can be universal with this program,” she said. “The officers having the information about my son is very beneficial to keep him safe.”
In the Panhandle, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has also adopted the SAFE Program. According to Nandin, neighboring Walton County might also follow suit soon.
To register for the SAFE Program in Hardee County, click here.
A similar program is offered in the City of Tampa.
Additionally, both the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and Polk County Sheriff’s Office have an autism decal program.
