The Mahoning County Prosecutor's office in partnership with the Mahoning County Sheriff's Department has teamed up to create the county's first special needs registry with the goal of providing one more critical layer of information to first responders and officers.

"And we thought that it would be a tremendous assistance to law enforcement to create a registry such as this and to include it on the 911 system because really what is key here is that officers need that information as quickly as possible," says Mahoning County Chief Assistant Prosecutor Gina DeGenova.

The registry is free and voluntary to county residents and information such as the individual's name, address, caregiver, and any traits or triggers like bright lights or sirens will then be uploaded to the 911 call center.

The Mahoning County Sheriff's Department says with this new registry along with their annual crisis intervention training it will allow them to pinpoint a special needs individual before they arrive on the scene of an emergency situation.

"It helps us with these situations understand what the individual is going through, and understand what the course of action is to deescalate the situation for the best course of action," says William Cappabianca with the Mahoning County Sheriff's Department. 

The registry can be found by following this link: MAHONING COUNTY SPECIAL NEEDS REGISTRY

You can also request a written application by calling the Mahoning County Prosecutor's office at 330-740-2330 from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday.