Lilburn police announce registry to help connect with disabled locals
The Lilburn Police Department is finding a new way to connect with local citizens.
In October, the department announced the Vulnerable Citizens Registry program, a new initiative meant to connect citizens with disabilities or disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or autism with the police department — providing officers with emergency contact information and physical descriptions.
“We’ve had several instances where we’ve ran across people like this and it’s like, wow, you know, I mean, how do we get this person back to their house or back to their caregiver,” Lilburn Police Lt. Chris Dusik said.
Registry applications include information about such as weight, eye and hair color and scars or tattoos — and whether the registrant is non-verbal or uses sign language.
“If somebody is on the registry and all their contact information is in there, we have a way of, if an officer is out with this individual, they can search you know, based off of identifying features,” Dusik said.
The program also allows for an optional identification card, wrist band, and residence window cling that can help officers identify registrants during an emergency.
“We want to do everything we can in somebody’s worst time to help them,” Dusik said.
About the Author
Jillian Price covers local news for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She is a graduate of Baylor University and the University of Texas at Austin. She joined the AJC in 2022 and mainly covers Gwinnett County cities.
