Autism groups say families must prepare for police encounters — and officers need better training
Laura Gómez
A Phoenix-area incident last year drove home the need to continue training first responders on interacting with people with autism and other developmental disabilities.
A Buckeye police officer mistook a 14-year-old boy with autism for a drug-user and the pair ended up on the ground, the boy injured.
But some parents and advocates say training must go both ways and the autism community must learn about police.
MORE:Family of autistic teen police mistook for drug user seeks $5M
Cynthia Macluskie, founder of Autism Society of Greater Phoenix, said all major first-responder agencies in the Phoenix area partner with health centers and local organizations to tap into learning opportunities.
Macluskie wants to ensure those with autism are prepared.
As the Center for Disease Control estimates nearly 1 in 68 American children have autism spectrum disorder — and others estimate it may be far higher — encounters with police and other first responders in emergency situations are going to occur.
"Although we believe law enforcement always needs more training, we as a community don't have control over when that happens," Macluskie said. "But we do have control over raising awareness in our community on how to be safe."
Macluskie's group has conducted almost 30 training sessions of a "Be Safe" program, which brings together officers and young adults with autism to learn about police.
Getting everyone in the room
Diana Davis-Wilson, a behavior analyst who trains law enforcement on developmental disabilities, said high-profile incidents like the one in Buckeye can create fear in families.
"Sometimes the best way to break down that fear is to get everyone in the room. Everyone has this interest in helping the autism community," said Davis-Wilson, who is a Be Safe program trainer.
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Teaching people with autism effective communication with police is key, she said.
"Autism is so diverse that we can't give (law enforcement) every tool possible," she said. "We can empower the individual with autism on how to navigate their own needs and how to communicate that to the officer."
Growing up, Howard Zlamal — who has Asperger syndrome, a condition on the autism spectrum — learned how to communicate with police, to drop anything he had in his hands and comply with officers, he said. When he started driving, he learned to make eye contact and keep his hands visible.
Zlamal, who has also trained police departments in the state about autism, said those with autism should know that police officers' main role is to help and provide safety. In turn, police shouldn't equate the behavior of people with autism to a threat.
"Many people on the autism spectrum have been erroneously shot by police because sometimes someone on the spectrum may become agitated, may thrash their hands and an officer may mistake it for a threat," Zlamal said.
More conversations between police and parents and their children with autism will ease those encounters, he said.
Macluskie said about 44 people around the state are certified to conduct the Be Safe training. The society is raising funds to get that number closer to 100, she said.
Building rapport between police, community
When Goodyear resident Cricket Barrientos saw the body-camera footage of the Buckeye incident, she was horrified.
She's the mother of a boy with autism and she is the wife of a police officer.
"Watching the video, I feel horrible for the police officer and I feel horrible for the family," Barrientos said.
MORE:Video shows Buckeye officer detain autistic teen he thought was using drugs
It prompted her to revamp a program she had developed in 2014 for families of children with autism from Luke Air Force Base.
"It’s sad that this happened, but I also know that the police officer goes home every day and feels really bad about the situation. I understand both sides," she said.
Barrientos, founder of the non-profit Sounds of Autism, is now close to launching a campaign called Responders Unite 2018, which will train “ambassadors” from three backgrounds — families of autism, law enforcement, and business and community partners.
“The mission of this (is) to bridge the gap between first responders and the autism community through education, training and effective communications skills,” Barrientos said.
Similar efforts have been underway Valleywide for over four years, Davis-Wilson said.
From Chandler to Glendale, police and fire departments have worked to train their sworn staff on developmental disabilities like autism and are establishing close partnerships with the autism communities, Macluskie said.
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Non-profits and behavioral health centers are also working on overcoming the fear families of people with autism might have about police interactions, she said.
"We need to build a relationship together and work on these issues together. It doesn’t need to be adversarial, it needs to be communal," Macluskie said.
When things go wrong
The family of the teen with autism who was injured in Buckeye is seeking $5 million, according to a notice of claim filed with the city of Buckeye.
In a letter to Buckeye Police Department Chief Larry Hall last fall, the family's attorney questioned the officer's training.
"Given the ever-increasing prevalence of autism in today's society, this lack of training and guidance is deeply disturbing," the family said in the letter.
After the incident, the Buckeye Police Department held a mandatory autism awareness training for all personnel, according to the city.
RELATED: Autism community angered by Mesa police shooting of transgender man
The officer involved in the incident also underwent crisis intervention training that teaches de-escalation tactics when dealing with vulnerable populations, people with disabilities and those with a mental health diagnosis.
West Valley coalition trains officers
Most recently, a regional coalition — the West Valley Crisis Intervention Team Coalition — formed to train sworn officers on crisis intervention several times a year. The 40 hours of instruction combines hands-on scenarios with information sessions on mental health conditions and disabilities.
Following a model from the East Valley, the coalition formed last year and includes all eight police departments in the West Valley.
MORE:Mesa police create crisis-response team after shooting autistic man
Surprise has sent 36 police officers through the training, while Glendale has sent 86. Avondale has more than 20 police officers trained in crisis intervention.
Avondale police spokesman Sgt. Thomas Alt said basic instruction on people with disabilities begins at the police academy, and that's later complemented by training on specific populations.
"We send officers to trainings that include dealing with mental illnesses, de-escalation tactics, Alzheimer’s, Autism, etc.," Alt said in an email. "We continuously send officers to these types of training throughout the year as it’s a department goal."
The department also partners with the Agua Fria Union High School District, the addiction treatment non-profit Community Bridges, and the behavioral health hospital Copper Springs Health for more training.
Buckeye Fire and Medical Rescue also partners with Mercy Maricopa Integrated Care for a three-hour class called "De-Escalating Autism Call" that is required as part of the Fire Department's recertification process.
The Avondale Fire Department also has a similar "Special Needs Training" that's part of its recertification process. The training includes areas such as patients with disabilities, geriatric patients, patients with dwelling medical devices and physiological medical emergencies, according to Ben Avitia, division chief for the Avondale Fire and Medical.
Resources for West Valley families
AZ Assist of the West Valley, Peoria - azassist.com/about-az-assist/west-valley
AZA Now, Glendale: azanow.org
Autism Society of Greater Phoenix: phxautism.org
Sounds of Autism, Goodyear: soundsofautism.org
Southwest Autism Center of Excellence: www.saceaz.org
Reach the reporter at laura.gomez@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-3805. Follow her on Twitter: @laura_gomezrod.
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