(Walhalla, SC)--------------------------------------The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office is announcing a new initiative today that will assist law enforcement and those drivers and citizens of Oconee County who have special needs.
“Several months ago, I was contacted by a parent who has a child who is autistic. The child has a driver’s license to operate a motor vehicle,” says Oconee County Sheriff Mike Crenshaw. “The parent had concerns for his child in regards to not responding to law enforcement should he be pulled over for a lawful traffic stop. Today, on behalf of the Sheriff’s Office, I am happy to announce a new special needs initiative called C2C, or Connecting to Citizens, in the hopes of assisting our citizens in Oconee County who have special need and the law enforcement officers who serve them.”
The main part of the initiative is a sticker that can be placed on the rear glass of a vehicle to alert law enforcement that someone inside has a special need or can be placed on a back pack if someone walks more and does not drive.
The sticker was designed with the help of honorary K-9 deputy Brock Chappelear, who was sworn in as an honorary deputy last summer.
“For many of our special need citizens, lights and loud noises can be frightening for them. Plus, depending on their diagnosis, they may not respond well to officer commands or general conversations with law enforcement officers,” says Sheriff Crenshaw. “It is our hope that these stickers will assist law enforcement in these encounters with our special needs citizens to create a safe environment for all involved.
The C2C stickers are available for pickup at the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office during normal business hours, Monday – Friday, from 8:30am until 4:30pm.
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