Moving aid campaign in the US: police officers rescue autistic girl from a swamp area

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That just ended well: in Tampa, Florida, police officers rescued a girl (5) with autism from a swampy area last Monday. The heartwarming images of the rescue operation are currently going viral on the internet.

The mother of the five-year-old reported the incident to the police shortly after 5 p.m. on Monday. Her daughter was not at the neighbors’ house as agreed, but ran away.

Swamp Haunting lasted less than an hour

A major search was immediately launched and a helicopter also took off. With success: the pilot was able to locate the girl with the help of a thermal imaging camera. The location was then passed on to officers on the scene.

Three police officers then came across the lost girl. “Come here… let’s get you out of the water,” one of the police officers tells the five-year-old. The little girl happily throws her arms in the air as the police officer picks her up and takes her to safety.

There were many obstacles

According to local sheriff Chad Chronister, the girl survived the terrifying ordeal with only a few scratches. But it could have ended very differently.

According to the sheriff, the police officers not only had to deal with the dense Florida vegetation, but also many difficulties that stood in their way of rescuing the five-year-old child. «When you work with people who suffer from autism, there are many obstacles. One of them is that they are attracted to water. The second is that they often have problems with communication,” says Chronister. In such situations, every second counts.

“Your quick action saved the day.”

The so-called ‘Safety Net’ program also proves to be a great support for the police in such cases. This is intended to ensure the safety of vulnerable citizens with Alzheimer’s, dementia, autism and other cognitive problems.

It is used, for example, when an affected person leaves the house unnoticed. Family members or caregivers can then call 911 and search teams are activated to locate the missing person via their personal radio frequency.

Despite the use of technology, the sheriff does not want to downplay the efforts of his officers. “Your quick action saved the day and turned a potential tragedy into a hopeful reunion.” (ced)

Source: Blick