As a District Attorney serving nearly 220,000 residents, Jeff Reisig intimately knows the challenges facing Yolo County’s residents and its law enforcement officers.

He’s always been committed to increasing county-wide cooperation and has a long history of taking advantage of technology to help public servants work smarter and respond more efficiently, according to a press release from the DA’s Office.

Reisig believes Vitals™ technology will do that and more, it continued. Most importantly, he says, the service will make everyone safer while creating more collaboration between law enforcement officers and communities they serve that are often misunderstood.

“It is important to find ways we can all work together to protect each other. With Vitals, I believe we’ve found a platform that leverages technology, which can help create peaceful interactions with first responders and the communities they serve,” Reisig stated. “By increasing communication and providing crucial information used to de-escalate responses to individuals in crisis, we create a win-win situation built on understanding.”

Vitals participants voluntarily provide the individualized information in this cutting-edge program revolving around technological innovation, the release states. When authorized emergency service workers respond to calls regarding Vitals enrollees, they automatically receive important information on their smart phones to help them de-escalate or resolve a situation by providing a response catered to a person’s specific needs and vulnerabilities.

Yolo County becomes the second community in California to offer Vitals to its public servants and residents. However, this is the first place in the nation where a district attorney is bringing the service to first responders and the community.

“We often hear first responder agencies, mental health advocates and school officials who learn about Vitals™ saying ‘why didn’t we think of that?’ When District Attorney Reisig approached us and said he wanted to help facilitate this service to the entire County of Yolo and its residents, we responded by saying ‘why didn’t we think of that?’ It is amazing to see the level of cooperation between first responders, mental health advocates, residents, and now prosecutors, in Northern California. We believe this is another big step in safeguarding adults and children with visible or invisible disabilities to receive compassionate and individualized service in every corner of Yolo County,” Vitals™ President/CEO Janeé Harteau explained.

The Folsom Police Department, on the other side of the metro area from Yolo County, was the first in the state to launch Vitals in January of this year.

With this pilot project, the Vitals service has been made available for all first responders in Yolo County, an area that covers more than 1,000 square miles between Sacramento and San Francisco.

The ultimate goal is for every public safety agency in Yolo County to embrace the new technology, according to the DA’s Office. This first phase of implementation includes Yolo County probation officers, police officers and firefighters from Winters, police officers from West Sacramento and Yolo County DA Investigators.

Individuals and families who believe they will benefit from the service are encouraged to sign up now at thevitalsapp.com. As a part of the Yolo County Vitals launch, 100 beacons are being offered at no cost to enrollees.

The Vitals platform is supported by advocates and caregivers serving people with mental health, autism, Alzheimer’s and dozens of other conditions. The company has also recently been in contact with customers across the nation who are very dedicated to serving transient and homeless populations, which remain core areas of focus for Yolo County as well.