KENNEWICK, Wash. – Project guardian is a program the Kennewick Police Department has been involved with since 2022, but KPD is looking to shine awareness of the project to community members.
Apple Valley News Now spoke with Kennewick Police Officer Christian Dunn and he said project guardian is for individuals with special needs. According to Dunn the program gives police a head start when they're responding to calls for help.
“We realize that there's a need to, since we deal with individuals all the time, eventually we're going to deal with individuals that have special needs and we need to be better prepared,” Officer Dunn said.
Family members or care-takers can provide project guardians with information about the person with special needs to KPD to help officers know how to approach them, Officer Dunn said.
“When we go to these calls, we just have more information, more information of the individual, what we're going into and not just getting information from our dispatch, not just what people are calling 911 for. We can have this person's portfolio and a picture of them, so that we show up on scene we can say, oh, I saw that person's picture, this is who I'm talking to. This is what I'm dealing with,” Officer Dunn said, "I read some information on them already, so that I can kind of get on a personal level with them.”
When it comes to safety this project makes sure no one gets left behind, Officer Dunn said.
“It’s important because we have people here who have special needs and we want to help everyone in our community. I think it's a very special program because the reason I became a police officer was to help out everyone in my community, no matter who they are,” Officer Dunn said, “I think it just gives us more information and helps me out so that when I go on these calls to talk to these individuals, I can call them by name. I know a little bit about them and I can help them out.”
Some of the information the form asks for is a photo of the individual, what their disability is, where they live and what can trigger them. This form can be found on the KPD website. All information is confidential, Officer Dunn said.
BENTON & FRANKLIN COUNTIES, Wash. -- Columbia Center Rotary club is hosting its first-ever speech contest and they're looking for Benton and Franklin County High School students to compete!
KENNEWICK, Wash. - It was standing room only at the Ben Franklin Transit Board of Directors meeting Thursday night. Two big items on the agenda continue to hold the public's attention: the board's proposal of a sales tax reduction and the future of the Dial-A-Ride program.
COPYRIGHT 2024 BY APPLE VALLEY NEWS NOW. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.
Most Popular
Comments / 0