What is Take Me Home, and why do we need a regional registry?
Across the San Diego region, police agencies respond to calls by caregivers of people with special needs that are missing,
and to calls by concerned citizens regarding someone they have found that needs assistance but can’t identify themselves or
communicate information about their needs or who provides care for them. When police respond to these incidents, information is
the critical element to provide for the safety of the person involved – information that is timely, accurate, searchable, and especially
that is accessible across the entire region.
No one understands this need for information better than Officer Brian Herritt of the Palomar College Police Department. Officer Herritt has
responded to these incidents, and is also the father of a child with special needs and has received police assistance as the family and caregiver
for his child. Officer Herritt, bringing clarity to the issues and envisioning a regional solution, brought the idea for a registry to the
Sheriff’s Department.
That idea has been turned into action by adapting an existing photo-based information system, one hosted by the Sheriff’s Department
and currently used by all police agencies throughout the region, to include information about people with special needs, based on a voluntary
enrollment by the person’s caregiver through a supporting organization. This secure, Sheriff-hosted application became the Take Me Home
registry, and is accessible by all police agencies across the San Diego region.
Expert organizations specialize in providing services and support to the various needs and challenges faced by many of our community members,
their families, and those who provide caregiver services to them. These expert organizations – both government and community based – exist
throughout our region, and participated in the final design of Take Me Home. The offer of collaboration by these stakeholder experts to guide and
coordinate support for registering interested people for Take Me Home is the real key to success of this approach, and to sustaining this effort for the long run.
Take Me Home is intended to serve, through the expert organizations, people with developmental disabilities or medical conditions that may increase their risk
of wandering or being lost, or that may be unable to identify themselves or provide accurate information about their immediate needs.
Registering for Take Me Home
Registering for the Take Me Home system requires submitting information and a photograph or picture file to the stakeholder organization that serves or aligns with the
needs of the individual. If you are unsure of the appropriate organization, consult with the State Board on
Developmental Disabilities or County of San Diego Aging and Independence Services for service or a referral. The current stakeholder organizations are included below.
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The ARC of San Diego
(619) 685-1175 |
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Alzheimer’s Association
San Diego/Imperial Chapter
(858) 492-4400 |
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Autism Society
San Diego County Chapter
(858) 715-0678 |
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Epilepsy Foundation
of San Diego County
(619) 296-0161 |
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San Diego-Imperial Counties
Development Services, Inc.
(858) 576-2966 |
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Aging & Independence Service
Health and Human Services Agency San Diego County
(800) 510-2020 |
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Office of the State Council
On Developmental Disabilities
Area Board XIII
(619) 688-3323 |
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United Cerebral Palsy
San Diego County
(858) 571-7803 Ext. 115 |
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