RICHMOND, Va. — Thursday, dozens of Alzheimer’s advocates will travel to Richmond to ask lawmakers to support the 150,000 Virginians living with the disease by passing a new bill.
This year, Republican Delegate A.C. Cardoza has introduced HB 2250, legislation that would require law enforcement recruits to have dementia specific training as they begin their careers after graduating from the Justice Academy.
Under Virginia's current law, training standards and model policies are focused solely on individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and the Alzheimer's Association said this new requirement would help ensure appropriate techniques are used to assist individuals displaying signs of cognitive impairment.
"It's very important, and I hope that all officers in the Commonwealth of Virginia go through that same type of training," explained Robin Gouckenour, a Henrico woman who lost her husband Rick to Alzheimer's in 2020.
Just one year before his death in the summer of 2019, Robin says Rick wandered off from their home. After searching for him for about an hour, she called 911 and Henrico County Police responded immediately.
When officers finally found Rick near a golf course in the neighborhood, she said they did all of the right things not to scare him off.
"The importance to me and my family was the safety and knowing that he was in good hands," she noted. "And that the way they approached him, that he wasn't different, that he wasn't some goofy guy that was just out, you know, traveling around."
Robin said she wants HB 2250 to pass to ensure all officers know how to respond and work with someone with dementia.
The Virginia Sheriff's Association sent CBS 6 a statement reading, "The Virginia Sheriffs Association strongly supports HB 2250, enhancing training for law enforcement on dementia issues. Dementia needs to be understood by all segments of our communities and law enforcement officers are on the front lines to provide the most appropriate service possible to those families touched by this disease.”
The Alzheimer's Association said advocates plan to be at the Capitol from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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