Charles Co. CCSO Announces Voluntary Registry Program

newsBot · Apr 29, 2022

CCSO Announces Voluntary Registry Program
Citizens invited to register individuals with autism or developmental disabilities in order to aid law enforcement in providing them with assistance.

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office is launching a new Voluntary Registry Program with the goal of providing law enforcement with identifying information for individuals with autism or developmental disabilities. Corporal Mark Bourgeois of the Crime Prevention Unit collaborated with Mrs. Christine Prozik, Coordinator of Autism Services for Charles County Public Schools, in developing this initiative. The program is intended for:

Individuals who may be unable to respond appropriately or identify themselves to law enforcement;
Individuals who may wander as a symptom of a disability and get lost; and
Individuals who are nonverbal or unable to communicate.

This voluntary program gives citizens an opportunity to provide law enforcement with pertinent information ahead of time about their loved one(s) should they become involved in an incident where officers are present. Information provided may include, but is not limited to, the individual’s:

Name;
Address;
Contact number;
Physical attributes, such as height, weight, hair color, eye color, and other identifying characteristics;
Recent photo; and
Triggers, such as bright lights or noises.

The information provided by citizens will be stored privately in our Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) program. When officers respond to a scene where the individual is present, or to their address, dispatch will be able to provide them with the information that is in the CAD. “Having this information in advance will help the officers who are responding and protect the safety of everyone involved,” said Cpl. Bourgeois.

“Our dedicated men and women continue to look for ways to serve our community better and enhance safety in Charles County,” said Sheriff Troy Berry. “The Voluntary Registry Program will be an extremely helpful tool for serving the needs of those who are autistic or have other developmental or cognitive disabilities.”

Any Charles County citizens who are interested in submitting information for the Voluntary Registry Program are asked to contact Corporal Bourgeois by phone at (301) 609-6233 or by email at bourgeoism@ccso.us.

CONTACT: Janelle Love
Media Relations Office
(301) 609-6538 or (301) 848-4799

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) was accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) in 2001 and has since earned the highest rating of Excellence. Established in 1658, the CCSO is one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the United States. For more information, visit www.ccso.us.

Charles County Crime Solvers offers rewards of up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest or indictment of a person responsible for a crime in Charles County. All individuals who provide tips through Crime Solvers will remain anonymous. Anyone with information about an unsolved crime or the location of a fugitive may contact Charles County Crime Solvers by calling 1-866-411-TIPS. Tips can also be submitted online at www.charlescountycrimesolvers.com or by using the P3Intel mobile app, which can be found in the Android Store and Apple store by searching P3tips. For more information about the P3 program, click on this link: www.p3intel.com

Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: https://so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at https://so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at https://so.md/expungeme.