A new program the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department is starting could help first responders and law enforcement know more about a situation as they arrive on scene.

Sheriff Bill Puett said he heard about an awareness sticker program from other law enforcement agencies in the state that have used it.

The Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department purchased the stickers that can be placed on the front door to a house. The stickers will let first responders know any special information about residents in the house such as if a person is hard of hearing, diabetic or is autistic.  

“(First responders) don’t know anything and all of a sudden, there’s resistance of maybe someone is not complying with your directives and you think that they’re purposely not complying and later on you find out they’re deaf or somebody’s a diabetic and has gone into some type of event and you may need to get in there,” Puett said. “Anything that they can do to enhance the knowledge that they have and the ability to deliver services is an important thing. Approaching a door and seeing a big purple sticker – visual recognition – that takes less than a second to add valuable information to your decision making process.”

Puett said the free stickers are available at the Sheriff’s Office at 501 Faraon Street in St. Joseph or call (816) 236-8800 for more information.