OCEAN COUNTY – The Ocean County Special Needs Registry is now available to residents with special needs who reside, attend school or are employed here.
The project was launched on March 1 and provides support in emergency situations to any Ocean County resident who may need special assistance.
Residents can visit OCSNRNJ.com and register themselves or any family members living in their home who may have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities due to a physical and/or intellectual disability. Vital information such as a registrant’s special needs, emergency contact information, physical description and current photograph is shared with first responders during an emergency response.
A registrant is given two window decals that can be placed at the front entrance of their home as well as on the window of their car. The decal will notify first responders that the resident has some degree of special need.
The Ocean County Special Needs Registry is a collaborative effort between the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, the Ocean County Sheriff’s Department and the Ocean County Police Chiefs Association. Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer thanked the Ocean County Board of Commissioners and the Ocean County Office of Information and Technology for their collective assistance and support for this initiative.
“This collaborative effort is designed to assist our law enforcement officers and first responders with critical knowledge regarding impending interaction with citizens of the communities they serve. The more our officers and first responders know on their way to a call or on a motor vehicle stop the higher the likelihood is of a more positive interaction – for the officer and for the citizen,” Billhimer stated.
“The Ocean County Sheriff’s Office thanks the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office for initiating this program to protect those who might be most vulnerable in our county. The Prosecutors Office, Sheriff’s Office and Ocean County Police Chiefs will continue to work together and are committed to protecting all our residents,” Ocean County Sheriff Michael Mastronardy said.
“On behalf of the Ocean County Police Chiefs Association, I would like to thank everyone, including, but not limited to, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer, Ocean County Sheriff Michael Mastronardy, and Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Sergeant Melissa Rose for all their hard work and dedication in making this Special Needs Program come to fruition. As a representative for the Ocean County Police Chiefs Association, I can assure you this program will lead to more positive interactions for both our respective communities and staffs, allow us to increase public relations and community policing, and provide the best service possible to those individuals with special needs. As law enforcement officers in Ocean County, we have a passion to serve everyone with the utmost respect and professionalism and we certainly look forward to being a part of this new program,” Ocean County Chiefs of Police President Michael Dibella said.
