Autism and Law Enforcement.

Autism and Law Enforcement, produced by Dennis Debbaudt and directed by Dave Legacy, April 2004.

Chief executives in the 21st century face incredible challenges meeting training needs of their respective agencies. Since September 11, 2001, federal, state, and local training mandates have warranted tremendous attention for chief executives. Nonetheless, meeting the seemingly endless needs of other in-service training issues cannot be ignored. Short-duration videos viewed at roll calls represent one avenue law enforcement agencies can consider to meet training requirements. This type of media provides officers with the latest techniques and information on any number of subjects that do not necessarily require a hands-on approach.

My review of Autism and Law Enforcement, a 21-minute video, not only enlightened me as a police chief but made me immediately recognize it as a valuable resource for all law enforcement officers. The producer, a law enforcement veteran and father of a son with autism, maintains viewer interest by providing clear, concise bullet points about the nature of the disability; how officers should approach an individual with autism; and what to expect as a response from an officer's field interview.

After viewing the tape, I immediately recognized the importance of familiarizing officers with this particular disability. A startling statistic especially caught my attention: a greater likelihood exists for encountering a person with autism in an officer's daily assignments than that of many other forms of disability. Failure on the part of the officer to recognize the inherent characteristics of this particular disability may result in an inappropriate response or, worse, an unnecessary arrest or excessive use of force.

The medical profession continues its efforts to identify the cause of autism. In the meantime, however, research had indicated that it is the fastest growing developmental disability in the United States, affecting 15 out of 10,000 people. It is four times more common in boys than in girls, and children are diagnosed within the first 3 years of life.

Because people with autism have a propensity to wander and sometimes do not respond to questions, they can be misjudged and viewed as suspicious in nature. Consequently, officers often fail to recognize some of the behavioral traits of an individual with autism when responding to calls for service. The sensory overload that the person experiences often is intensified by the officer's command presence, shiny badge, radio, and firearm. The officer's mere presence in an interview scenario may result in the person responding in a manner that is unfamiliar to the officer. The video provides invaluable lessons on how to identify, interview, and successfully resolve an encounter with such an individual.

Autism and Law Enforcement is an excellent tool that can raise awareness to promote successful encounters with people who have autism. The complexities in the mission of today's street officer demand an astute response to the differing needs of citizens. This training video helps accomplish that goal.

Reviewed by John M. Skinner

Chief, Port St. Lucie, Florida, Police Department