Marcus Abrams is a bright 20-year-old living in St. Paul, Minnesota, and like a lot of young men, Marcus likes video games, playing music, and hanging out with his friends. At first glance, Marcus looks like his friends, too. If you didn’t know Marcus, you probably wouldn’t be able to tell right away that he has autism and the cognitive ability of a 12-year-old.  Marcus is somewhat independent, but he tends to wander away from home, has trouble following complex instructions, and does not like to be touched.

In 2015, Marcus was on a light rail platform in the Twin Cities and encountered two Metro Transit police officers who misinterpreted his behavior as signs of intoxication. By the end of the interaction, Marcus had suffered a seizure and had serious injuries to his head, teeth, neck, and torso that required medical attention. The incident quickly spread across social media and was highlighted by local and national media outlets, resulting in protests across the cities. Metro Transit paid the family $40,000 in the ensuing excessive force lawsuit.

Fast-forward a few years, and Marcus is the same upbeat individual, only he is physically larger, more wary of police, and carries a small inobtrusive Bluetooth beacon with him at all times. Following the incident with Metro Transit, Marcus and his mother signed up for a smartphone app service and built an individualized profile for Marcus that could be automatically shared with first responders before they came into contact with him.

George Floyd. Elijah McClain. Breonna Taylor. These people’s names and stories are well-known, and while opinions vary on how the officers handled the situations, it can be agreed that none of these encounters resulted in more positive relationships between the police and communities. Most people have never heard of Marcus Abrams because his story has a different ending.

In 2018, the St. Paul Police Department responded to a call that a student had injured himself at school. When officers entered the school, the technology installed on their smartphones automatically downloaded Marcus’s profile information, which provided them with his name and photo, his medical conditions, de-escalation strategies specific to Marcus, and his mother’s contact information. Marcus’s mom tells this story with a smile as she explains that the St. Paul officers were able to use the information in Marcus’s digital profile to slow down and de-escalate the situation. Having her son carry this technology gives her a greater peace of mind. She believes that the technology saved her son’s life.

The Question: The world is in crisis. Leadership is needed. Police reform is necessary. Reinvention takes time. Disbanding the police is not a viable option. What can we do today? What can we do together? 

Now, more than ever, it is important for cities and counties to invest in services and resources designed to keep people safe. This effort must start with equipping police officers with better tools and timely information, thus reducing the need to use force.

Law enforcement lacks the capacity and information necessary to adequately help the more than 100 million people in the United States who are living with a visible or invisible condition or disability. Crisis intervention training is great, but it can never fully address every situation involving a troubled or escalated person.

The statistics say one in five adults will experience a mental health crisis in their lives. Data shows that at least one in ten calls for service can be linked to a mental health issue.

Nobody knows an individual’s complex medical needs, behavior triggers, and de-escalation techniques better than the individual or the family member who cares for him or her. It is time to bridge the gap between law enforcement and people living with mental health conditions and disabilities. With real-time, information-sharing technology, individuals and families can be given the power to communicate automatically and in real-time the information they know will help themselves or their loved ones in crisis.

Real-time information-sharing and de-escalation technology are at the forefront of police reform. They are critical components to promoting safer interactions, reducing use of force, and building community trust.

Chief Janeé Harteau (retired) was Minneapolis, Minnesota’s 52nd police chief and the first female chief in the city’s history. Named in Fortune’s top 50 world leader’s list in 2017 for initiating MPD 2.0 immediately after she became chief, she took steps to systematically change accountability and transparency within the department, leading to her work on transforming how police operate globally.