Nearly half of children with autism will attempt to wander away at least once — a moment that can quickly escalate without the right response. During Autism Awareness Month, this powerful image captures the launch of CODE JOSHUA, a life-saving initiative by the nonprofit Joshua’s Gift and the City of Fremont Police Department
CODE JOSHUA is a new emergency alert system and voluntary registry that equips dispatchers and first responders with personalized, critical information — behaviors, communication preferences, triggers—about individuals with autism or intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
The Fremont Police Department will be the first agency to integrate CODE JOSHUA into its dispatch and patrol operations. CODE JOSHUA allows families to voluntarily submit detailed information about their loved ones’ specific behaviors, characteristics and needs. When dispatchers receive a call regarding someone exhibiting autism or IDD-related behaviors, they can access the CODE JOSHUA database to retrieve the individual’s profile.
With 175 families already set to register, CODE JOSHUA marks a major step forward in community-centered policing and autism safety. Available in 17 languages including American Sign Language, the system helps ensure safer, more compassionate interactions. Learn more here.
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Learn more about people with autism with these Police1 resources
- 5 tips to guide officers during interactions with autistic persons
- How an Amazon wish list enabled a police department to help people with sensory sensitivity
- How a new simulation course helps officers train to recognize the signs of autism
- Autism awareness: Why it matters for law enforcement
- What I learned: One chief’s experience with a new autism awareness course
- Colo. first responders using app to foster safer encounters with people
