State lawmaker proposes ‘Take Me Home’ registry
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A state lawmaker wants to create a statewide initiative allowing caregivers and family members to react more quickly when a loved one goes missing.
Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara, D-Schenectady, is sponsoring legislation (A.11614) that would create the New York State Take Me Home Program, a voluntary statewide initiative designed to help families be better prepared before an emergency happens and provide first responders with critical information when every minute counts.
The New York State Take Me Home Program would create a secure, voluntary statewide registry where individuals, parents, legal guardians and caregivers could choose to provide important emergency information before a crisis occurs.
"When someone you love goes missing, every minute matters," Santabarbara said. "The New York State Take Me Home Program gives families the opportunity to be better prepared before an emergency happens. By providing important information ahead of time, first responders can spend less time gathering critical details and more time focusing on safely bringing someone home."
The program is designed to help individuals who may not be able to communicate with first responders, identify themselves or safely find their way home during an emergency. This includes many children and adults with autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities, dementia, traumatic brain injuries and other conditions that increase the risk of wandering or becoming lost.
Santabarbara's legislation was introduced after a June search for 7-year-old Harbe Nagi, an autistic and nonverbal boy who wandered away from a family gathering on Park Drive in Menands. Following an extensive multi-agency search involving local residents, drones and dive teams at Little’s Lake, the young boy was found deceased.
There are similar programs throughout the country, but they tend to be more localized rather than statewide efforts. Over the past several weeks, Santabarbara said he has met with families, disability advocates, law enforcement agencies and community organizations to discuss wandering prevention, emergency preparedness and available resources. Most recently, he participated in a community program hosted by the Autism Society of the Greater Hudson Region and the Al-Hidaya Center's BARAKA Program, where families, advocates and first responders came together to focus on prevention, preparedness and community support. Santabarbara said those conversations helped shape the legislation and reinforced the need for a statewide program that allows families to be better prepared before an emergency occurs.
As chair of the Assembly Committee on People with Disabilities, Santabarbara said the legislation focuses on preparedness, giving families the opportunity to voluntarily share information before it is ever needed.
The program would be administered by the Division of Criminal Justice Services and would create a secure, voluntary statewide emergency information registry that allows individuals, parents, legal guardians and caregivers to voluntarily provide important information before an emergency occurs. Participants would be able to voluntarily provide information that may assist first responders, including but not limited to: recent photographs; physical descriptions; emergency contact information; communication methods or limitations; medical considerations; behavioral characteristics; sensory sensitivities; information regarding a history of wandering or becoming lost; places frequently visited; and other information that may assist first responders during an emergency.
Access would be limited to authorized law enforcement personnel, emergency dispatchers and other authorized first
responders responding to an emergency or missing person investigation. Participant information would remain confidential.
The New York State Take Me Home Program is designed to complement New York's existing missing person alert programs, including the Missing Child Alert program, by helping families be better prepared before an emergency occurs and providing first responders with critical information when it matters most.
Santabarbara said he plans to continue working with families, disability advocates, law enforcement agencies and legislative colleagues to identify challenges, develop solutions and advance additional initiatives to better protect individuals with disabilities and other vulnerable New Yorkers during the upcoming legislative session.
"We can't predict when an emergency will happen, but we can be better prepared," Santabarbara said. "The New York State Take Me Home Program is about giving families peace of mind and giving first responders the information they need before a crisis occurs. Better preparation can save valuable time when every minute counts."