Jillian Whitis, a public safety dispatcher for the Lewisville Police Department, was recently commended by the department for her work with the Take Me Home Program. Read our interview with Jillian to learn about the program and how it can help keep people safe in our community.
What is the Take Me Home (TMH) Program? The TMH program provides first responders with the valuable and important information about your loved one immediately during an emergency situation. Having this information ahead of time eliminates the added layer of panic and stress that a parent or guardian might experience while trying to provide it in the moment, allowing first responders to focus on helping or locating your loved one. Almost every police department uses some variation of this program, which was created in Pensacola, Florida, in 2003.
Can you tell us why you became an advocate for the Take Me Home Program? I have a fifteen-year-old son with high-functioning autism, and so I learned about the program when my son was about two years old. About two years ago, I realized we had an influx of children (several nonverbal) found wandering at all hours and in dangerous areas. We have also had a handful of adults with cognitive impairments found by citizens. I realized we needed to improve the TMH program, so I asked to look into expanding its functionality proactively instead of just reactively.
TMH can be used for anyone of any age with varying disabilities and provides everyone in your local police and fire department the tools they need to start helping you and your loved one. It is extremely important for me to assure those enrolling their loved ones that the information they entrust us with is not given to or shared with other government agencies. Our goal is simply to safely interact with and bring your loved one home.
Do you know of a first responder, educator, or good human who should be featured? Send an email to our editorial coordinator at Valerie.Merrick@CityLifestyle.com to nominate them