FORT SMITH, Ark. — The Fort Smith Police Department (FSPD) launched the Vulnerable Persons Database on Monday (July 27).
FSPD says the goal of the Vulnerable Persons Database is to help mentally impaired and other at-risk individuals get the help and ongoing assistance they need.
The service provides FSPD officers quick access to vital information on a vulnerable person who could be at risk, is entirely voluntary and will not be used to track criminal behavior.
The policy defines a vulnerable person as an individual who could be in need of community care services by reason of mental illness, developmental disability/delay, other disability, age, illness, or emotional disturbance and who is or may be unable to take care of or protect themselves against significant harm or exploitation.
"Since we established the Crisis Intervention Unit, our Department as a whole has been called to assist 160 suicidal individuals and 167 living with some form of mental impairment," said Fort Smith Chief of Police Danny Baker. "Unfortunately, 13 of our citizens have taken their lives since the first of the year and we have another 20 unknown death investigations, many of which show indications of a drug overdose. This is not okay, and we are going to do everything in our power to get these people and their families the support they need before their loved ones become a statistic."
To participate, individuals or their guardians are encouraged to complete the form on our website or in person at the 100 South 10th Street Information Desk and submit a recent picture of the vulnerable person.
The submission will then be managed by the FSPD and protected from public disclosure by HIPAA laws.
From there, any time a call is associated with that individual, the responding officers will immediately be made aware of the vulnerable person's risk factors and needs.
The data will then be transferred to the FSPD Crisis Intervention Unit following the encounter for ongoing assistance.
