From the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office:
Caroline Sheriff Tony Lippa says all sworn appointees of the Caroline County Sheriff’s Office received training this week on dealing with persons that are impacted by Alzheimer’s disease and autism.
“With one in 59 children being on the autism spectrum, and the numbers for those affected by Alzheimer’s disease on the rise, this training is vital to helping our deputies help the public,” said Lippa.
The training, offered in a one-day class format, is being completed as part of the state mandated in-service training each deputy must complete every two years. This allows deputies to attend this specialized training at no additional cost to the agency.
“There have been many missing persons cases in our county, and often our deputies encounter persons with autism or Alzheimer’s on calls for service. This training teaches each deputy how to best handle those encounters to a safe, logical conclusion. I welcome the instruction, and I was a part of the first class to attend,” said the Sheriff.
We would like to give a special thank you to Sergeant Tim Sutton, representing Heroes 4 Autism, for instructing this training. Austin Gammon and his mother, Donna, along with Joey Frye and his parents, Caroline and Sam, also assisted in the training. The Gammon’s are from Hanover, and Joey is a local resident who creates art, calling it Artism. We would also like to recognize Lori Myers, Regional Director for the Greater Richmond Chapter Alzheimer’s Association, Fredericksburg Office, for delivering the Alzheimer’s training.
