Special Needs Open House Will Bring Hazlet Police, Community Together

HAZLET, NJ — The Hazlet Township Police Department is hosting its second Special Needs Open House in October.

The date is Saturday, Oct. 15, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the department, 255 Middle Road.

The open house welcomes everyone, regardless of residency, to attend the event to meet officers and to learn about local resources available for families of those with special needs, Officer Charleigh Logothetis, of the Administrative Division of the Hazlet Township Police Department, explained.

Attendees can tour the police department, have special ID cards made and interact with agencies that support special needs individuals and their families.

For example, attendees can meet officers and talk with representatives of local organizations such as Tender Touch Occupational Therapy, the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office Project Life Saver and POAC Autism Services, that offers autism safety training for first responders.

The author of "Bacon and Juiceboxes" and founder of Blue Bridge Autism Training, Gerald M. Turning, Jr., a father, author and retired police captain and trainer, will be on hand.

Another important agency to be represented is the Monmouth County Special Needs Registry, which will have a table at the event.

The registry is monitored by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s and Sheriff’s Office and is for all Monmouth County residents to register a loved one with special needs and provide helpful information about the person, Logothetis said.

For example, information for the registry can include the name, date of birth and physical description of the person. It can note actions that may upset him or her, as well actions that help to make the person become calmer and feel safer.

The registry also can inform authorities about where people with a tendency to wander from home may go or where they may hide. It also is a way to alert authorities to medications special needs residents use, as well as providing emergency contacts.

Once someone registers a loved one, the Monmouth County Sheriff's Office Communications Center enters a flag on the address. This way, if there is a call to the residence, officers are aware of the individual with special needs at the location and can access the registry to find out helpful information.

To register for the Special Needs Registry, the link is: https://www.mcsnrnj.org/register-for-snr/

The department encourages everyone - from any town - to come by express concerns, doubts, and ask questions, the department said.

"Give us an opportunity to learn something on this day so we can better serve all members of the community in the future," the department said.