SPECIAL TO THE REPORTER

Etowah County Sheriff’s Office is starting a new Invisible Disability initiative to help all first responders in Etowah County, according to Sheriff Jonathon Horton. 

The Etowah County Sheriff’s Office is committed to the safety of all its residents. The more information deputies and emergency responders have when they respond to calls for service, the better they are able to meet residents’ needs. 

The mission of the ECSO Invisible Disability initiative is to alert emergency responders that there is possibly a person with a disability in the home or vehicle.

The decals enable emergency responders to draw on their training and understand that there is a person in the home or car that may not speak, respond to or comply with verbal commands, may hide, or wander off, or may have no awareness of danger. 

The Etowah County Sheriff’s Office is providing these decals free of charge to anyone in Etowah County who wants to place them near the front door of their home or in the rear window of their car, so emergency responders can be aware there is a possible occupant with an Invisible Disability.

If you would like to register for the program but do not wish to affix the decal to your home or vehicle, simply fill out the form and request zero decals. This will enable the Sheriff’s Office to flag the address in the 911 dispatch system, so arriving responders will be aware that a person with a disability lives in the home. 

Upon registering you will receive two decals if requested. They can be mailed to an address provided or you may come to the Etowah County Sheriff’s Office to pick them up. 

To sign up, visit etowahcountysheriff.com/invisible-disabilities or come to the Sheriff’s Office in Gadsden.