A new bill was filed before the Florida Legislature on Dec. 12 that aims to make training on how to properly identify and handle people with autism spectrum disorder mandatory for law enforcement officers.
“One in 36 children have autism in the U.S.,” Ms. Stark told The Epoch Times, which, she pointed out, was an increase from one in 44. “This is increasingly a potential hazard for first responders who are called to situations involving autistic persons.”
‘Ounce of Prevention’
“Some stories are heart-wrenching,” Ms. Stark said. “Law enforcement being called to a school, and the individual ends up being manhandled and/or arrested when it is simply a lack of recognition of the autistic behavior and not approaching it accordingly.“We want everyone on both sides to be in the safest environment possible to de-escalate a situation rather than potentially make it worse and perhaps having injuries when understanding it will be an ounce of prevention.”
People with autism spectrum disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, are known to have difficulty communicating and interacting with other people, are non-responsive, and have “trouble understanding another person’s point of view or being unable to predict or understand other people’s actions.” They can also become upset by even slight changes, have difficulty with transitions, and appear more sensitive to bright lights and loud sounds—all of which can happen during an encounter with police officers and other members of law enforcement.
The new mandatory program would educate them on the characteristics and origin of autism, procedures to identify and address the possible “challenges” related to the safety and well-being of someone on the spectrum in a correctional facility, and the impact interactions with officers have on autistic people, according to the bill.
Law enforcement would also be taught a variety of appropriate techniques, such as intervening or interrogating someone on the autism spectrum, especially when it comes to protecting the rights of an individual, de-escalating potentially dangerous situations, differentiating someone with autism from someone “who is belligerent, uncooperative, or otherwise displaying traits similar to the characteristics of an individual with autism,” locating and returning runaways, recognizing potential abusive situations, and understanding the law and how “the Baker Act” can be used against someone with autism.
Officially named the Florida Mental Health Act, the Baker Act refers to legislation that enables families and loved ones to implement temporary detention and emergency mental health services for those who are found to be impaired by a mental illness and are unable to determine their need for treatment, according to University of Florida Health. Lasting up to 72 hours, it can be implemented when someone is found to have lost self-control due to mental illness and is likely to harm themselves or others.
This type of training is already optional for officers, but the goal is to make it mandatory.
“Many law enforcement agencies are doing this training depending on their leadership, but not all,” Ms. Stark said. “We believe anything that helps our officers be in a more proactive situation due to better understanding, then everyone wins. The fact that it has been made available but not mandated shows that it has been addressed but not to the extent that it should be, given the rise in statistics.”
If passed, the law will go into effect on July 1, 2024. All current law enforcement officers will be able to count the training time toward their pre-established 40 hours of training for continued employment, and all recruits will have the program added to their academy instruction. Enforcement of the new program will be carried out by the Florida Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission.
Ms. Stark is scheduled to join law enforcement officers in Osceola County on Dec. 19 to participate in the autism training herself.
