by Donald Eng CTNewsJunkie
BRIDGEPORT, CT — A proposed bill to require police officers to receive training about autism spectrum disorder is of interest to Police Chief Roderick Porter for several reasons. One is his role leading Bridgeport’s police department. Two more are family members who are on the spectrum.
“It’s so important to reinforce to our officers that if they encounter someone with autism, that they understand they can react to the officer’s tone and body language,” Porter said. “Training can provide us with the proper tools to police properly.”
Porter joined state senators Herron Gaston, D-Bridgeport, and Sujata Gadkar-Wilcox, D-Trumbull, at the Bridgeport police headquarters on Congress Street this week to back passage of House Bill 7202. The bill would establish and fund a law enforcement and social work project at Southern Connecticut State University and the Central Connecticut State University’s police training center and would establish requirements in police officer training regarding interactions with people with mental and physical disabilities.
Ashley McClain, founder of Linked – Autism Safety Project, said she was personally involved in an interaction with law enforcement involving her young son.
“My son was having a seizure and we were pulled over for speeding,” she said.
The incident demonstrated the need for police training, she said, because people with the disorder can behave in ways officers can mistake for being uncooperative.
“These interactions happen more than you know, especially with drivers,” she said.
One interaction she told of involved a driver pulled over for a routine traffic stop who was instructed by an officer to roll their window down a little.
“Well, this is a very literal person, and he rolled his window down just a little bit,” she said.
Porter explained how stimming, or self-stimulating behavior, is a common characteristic of autism spectrum disorder. It entails making repetitive sounds or movements that can help them cope with sensory overload or anxiety.
“But officers are always very conscious of a person’s hands,” Porter said. “If someone’s making rapid hand movements, that can be misinterpreted.”
Porter said about 60 Bridgeport police officers have received Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training.
On the other side of the interaction, a person with a developmental or physical disability may be unable to understand or follow an officer’s instruction, which could be construed as a refusal and could escalate a situation.
“An interaction that may last only a minute can create a real vulnerability,” Gadkar-Wilcox said.
Gaston chairs the Public Safety Committee, which advanced HB 7202 last month by a 29-0 vote. Patrick Griffin, the chief state’s attorney, testified in favor of it at a public hearing.
Griffin backed the CCSU training center, and praised the development of a social work and law enforcement project at SCSU. He called the integration of social workers and law enforcement, “an effective way to provide appropriate early intervention addressing the needs of those encountering the criminal justice system.”
These programs require investment of time and money, he said, “but these investments will no doubt provide future dividends to our citizenry that are immeasurable.”
Gaston said existing Connecticut law requires basic and review training programs for state and local police to include techniques for handling incidents, such as wandering, that involve juveniles and adults with autism spectrum disorder, cognitive impairment, or nonverbal learning disorder. This bill would expand the training curriculum for police officers interacting with people with mental or physical disabilities, he said.