"To Protect and Serve"

Last month, two Northwest Indiana police departments announced initiatives to aid people with autism and their families. While these programs seem rather simple, the potential benefits could be significant in emergency situations. Moreover, these agencies demonstrated their caring and commitment to some of the most vulnerable citizens in their communities, which is certainly impressive and commendable.

On August 28, 2019, the Starke County Sheriff’s Office Facebook page posted an offer of free bumper stickers to families affected by autism or Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. Sheriff Bill Dulan noted that these stickers could be posted on homes or vehicles to give first responders a “Heads Up” in an emergency situation “that your child or loved one may need extra assistance.” These bumper stickers bear the symbol of the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and contain the following messages: “Emergency Responder: An occupant may have autism or special needs. May not respond to verbal commands” and “Emergency Responder: An occupant may have Alzheimer’s or dementia. May not respond to verbal commands.”

By providing these bumper stickers at no cost to families with special needs, the Starke County Sheriff’s Office shows their concern for those who may not be able to communicate in an emergency situation. Additionally, this simple method of identification may assist first responders in providing appropriate care and support to special needs people. Furthermore, these stickers offer peace of mind to families dealing with autism, Alzheimer’s disease, and dementia, knowing that their loved ones can receive the special care they need in a crisis.

While the Starke County, Indiana Sheriff’s Office provides free bumper stickers to help identify people with autism, the East Chicago, Indiana police now offer free identification bracelets for people with autism. On August 1, 2019, The Times of Northwest Indiana newspaper published an article written by Paul Czapkowicz titled, “Forces partner to aid autism patients,” explaining a plan by the East Chicago Police Department to help identify people with autism. [To read this article, please click here.] Working with the North Township Trustee’s Office, the police created the Emergency Identity Program. The township trustee’s office provides forms for parents of children with autism who wish to participate in the program. In addition, the agencies are currently working with the local school system to offer the program to students who have autism.

Parents who enroll their children with autism in the Emergency Identity Program will be given a lime green bracelet for their children to wear on their wrists, ankles, or shoes. These bracelets easily identify the wearers as having autism so that police officers can help them cope better in emergency settings. Additionally, North Township Trustee Frank Mrvan showed compassion for people with autism, hoping that the bracelets would have a positive impact instead of “having a stigma to them.” Participation in this program is voluntary, and families who opt to enroll will receive the identification bracelets at no cost to them.

As well as serving as an easily visible cue to first responders that the bracelet wearer has autism, the bracelets are numbered so that police can look up the person’s name, address, and phone number if needed. In addition, the agencies are collaborating with the local 911 dispatch center so that police could be notified in advance if they were going to the home of someone with autism. Yet another benefit of this program could be helping to find lost children who have autism since many children with autism wander from home, school, or other safe places. These bracelets could help police find these children and return them safely home.

Spearheading this initiative is East Chicago police officer Sgt. Justin Orange, Sr., who is the father of a child with autism. He states, “The reason why this was kind of near and dear to us was because I have a son with autism and there’s also another officer on our department who also has a son that has autism.”

In addition to developing the program to identify people with autism by using these bracelets, the East Chicago Police Department has worked with the Autism Society of Indiana to train officers in how to interact with people with autism and how to calm people with autism who may be agitated in an emergency situation. As North Township Trustee Frank Mrvan wisely notes, “With autism, very often there are triggers such as flashing lights and noises that escalate people, and their escalation turns to fight-or-flight.” Along with training police officers, the city has offered seminars for families of children with autism to explain procedures if the police were called to their homes.

Further demonstrating their commitment to helping people with autism, the East Chicago Police are working with the Autism Society of Indiana to provide the department’s squad cars with de-escalation kits. These kits include items, such as stress balls, stuffed animals, and spinners, to help calm people with autism who are overwhelmed by sensory stimuli or upset in a crisis situation.

At the time this newspaper article was written, more than one hundred children and adults with autism had already registered for the East Chicago Emergency Identity Program. Even more encouraging is that nearby communities are developing similar plans to help people with autism. Specifically, in Lake County, Indiana, the town of Munster has initiated a comparable program, and the city of Hammond has recently started their own program. In addition, North Township Trustee Frank Mrvan anticipates that the Lake County towns of Highland and Whiting will also develop similar programs to assist people with autism in the near future.

With the increase in the prevalence of autism, communities must develop plans to help people with autism and their families in emergency circumstances. Being able to identify people who have autism with stickers or bracelets could prove to be a simple yet effective way to assist with this issue. Moreover, training first responders how to interact with and to calm people with special needs could prove vitally important in emergencies. The Starke County Sheriff’s Office and the East Chicago Police Department clearly recognize the needs of people with autism, as evidenced by their recent initiatives designed to help this special needs population. Certainly, they embody the police motto, “To protect and serve,” through their dedicated efforts to help people with autism. Hopefully, more community agencies will follow their lead and develop programs to aid people with autism, especially in emergency situations when they need help the most.

“…help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.” Isaiah 58:10

Vulnerability

 

This week U.S. News and World Report published an article online entitled “Is the U.S. Prepared for a Growing Population of Adults with Autism?” with the subheading, “More than 50,000 individuals with autism transition into adulthood each year.” [To read this article, please click here.] Parents of adult children with autism can easily respond to that essentially rhetorical question with a definitive no. The article points out that the majority of the more than 1.5 million diagnosed with autism are currently younger than twenty-two years old, and an “autism tsunami” is predicted as more children with autism become adults and need services. Of course, these services are quite expensive, and the article focuses on the staggering costs for taking care of these adults with autism. While that problem certain merits attention, parents of adult children worry more about how safe our vulnerable sons and daughters will be when we are not around to protect them.

In previous blog entries, namely “Protecting Our Children” (September 14, 2014), “Autism and Law Enforcement: A Safety Crisis” (June 9, 2013), and “Autism and Wandering: A Safety Crisis” (May 26, 2013), I have expressed my concerns about how bullies, wandering to unsafe places, and untrained police officers can pose threats to children and adults with autism, citing incidents where those with autism have been badly hurt and even killed. These news stories remind parents that we must be especially vigilant to guard our children with autism from those dangers, including those who may legitimately perceive them as threats. Because of our children’s impaired social skills, limited language, and tendency to wander, they may unknowingly find themselves in dangerous situations.

Around midnight on Christmas Eve in Greenville, South Carolina, police officers arrested a thirty-four-year-old man with autism walking on the sidewalk after he didn’t cooperate with their questioning. [To read this news report, please click here.] With his limited language skills, he couldn’t answer their questions and didn’t respond to their requests. His impaired social skills prevented him from behaving appropriately, and fear likely caused him to run away from the officers, who shocked him with a Taser and handcuffed him. Certainly, his noncompliant behavior made him seem suspicious and perhaps even threatening. However, after discovering that he has autism, charges were dropped against him. Unfortunately, he will carry that memory of an upsetting experience with the law, but this incident has demonstrated the need for police officers to have training in dealing with people with autism.

This week in Austin, Texas, a young man with autism became upset and ran away from his group home early in the morning. [To read this news report, please click here.] Agitated, he began pounding on doors of neighborhood homes. As he attempted to enter a home, the homeowner shot and killed him, fearing for the safety of his family. While this situation is terribly upsetting for everyone involved, many parents of adult children with autism understand how this could happen. When our fully-grown children become upset, their behavior can become so erratic that anyone would see them as threatening. Sadly, this young man with autism lost his life, and the homeowner protecting his family will have to live with this tragedy the rest of his life.

As these recent news reports demonstrate, the world is a dangerous place for people with autism who cannot communicate well and whose impaired social skills affect their behavior negatively. While parents do everything we can to protect our children and keep them safe, they may find themselves in danger. When I read essays written by parents of young children with autism who celebrate the disability and say that they wouldn’t change a thing about their child and that autism is part of their personality, I shake my head. While we love our children with autism unconditionally, we want their lives to be better and safer, but autism makes them vulnerable to dangers we can’t always keep at bay. Autism is no more a part of their personality than cancer or diabetes or any lifelong affliction that takes away from our children’s lives. Consequently, I continue to pray for a cure for autism so that my child and those like him can live life to fullest, participating in the world instead of being a misunderstood outsider. In the meantime, I also pray that God keeps Alex safe until that healing can occur and that He will guide and watch over him when we cannot.

“See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you.” Exodus 23:20

Autism and Law Enforcement: A Safety Crisis?

Two weeks ago, in my blog entry “Autism and Wandering: A Safety Crisis,” I discussed the prevalence of children with autism who wander away from safe places such as home and often wind up tragically drowning in nearby bodies of water. Specifically, I mentioned that in early May three children with autism had wandered away from their families and were found drowned. Since that entry was written, a fourth boy, Freddie Williams from Webb City, Missouri, who was fourteen years old and had autism, wandered from home and drowned in a pond. Clearly, this is an issue that cannot be ignored, and as I noted in my blog entry, parents will need to work with law enforcement agencies to develop training regarding how to deal with children and adults who have autism.

Along with learning how to deal with children who have autism and wander, law enforcement must learn how to interact with adults with autism who are agitated. A little over a week ago, an adult woman with autism in a town neighboring mine was arrested for theft, disorderly conduct, and resisting law enforcement. [To read the online newspaper account, click here.] She was caught stealing a beer from a neighbor’s outdoor refrigerator in the middle of the night, and when police approached her, she was not compliant with their orders, which is not surprising considering that people with autism often have trouble following verbal directions, especially in a situation where they are anxious. Apparently, she refused to come out of hiding from behind a shed, kept her hands in her pockets when she was told to show her hands, and attempted to flee. To subdue her, the police officer used a Taser on her twice. Certainly, the police officer needed to protect herself, but the thought of using a Taser on someone who likely has greater sensory issues than a typical person seems like cruel and unusual punishment. The police chief defended his officer’s use of the Taser, however, saying this use of force was appropriate in this situation.

As if this weren’t upsetting enough, a follow-up article published a few days ago [To read this article, click here.] indicates that a local judge has determined that the woman must remain in jail. Even though he admits that jail is not the proper placement for this woman with autism, he stated that she will have to make do there until they can move her to another facility with proper supervision that will meet her needs yet also protect society. The article also mentions that when the woman clearly did not understand the court proceedings, he addressed her mother, who like her daughter, broke down in tears when the judge told her she could not come home. My heart breaks for this woman who clearly does not belong in jail because she doesn’t understand the ramifications of her actions and for her mother who is trying to help her the best she can. Moreover, I’m not sure where the judge thinks he is going to place her, as we found out last year when we were dealing with Alex’s extreme behavior because no one wants to deal with adults with autism. There is no facility in this county who will deal with adults with autism, and parents of adults with autism are left to do the best they can to help their children on their own.

Last year, a teenage boy with autism in a town about an hour away from mine was shot and killed by police officers when his parents called for help to help subdue him. [To read a news account of this incident, click here.] When he threatened the officers with a knife and cut one of them, two officers each fired one shot, killing the boy. Again, police officers understandably needed to protect themselves, but perhaps better training in dealing with people who have autism might have prevented this tragic outcome. As more children with autism become adult-sized and difficult for their parents to manage, police are more likely to be called upon to help intervene when their behavior becomes extreme and potentially dangerous. Something needs to be done to keep everyone—parents, people with autism, and police officers—safe.

To protect our children with autism, whether they be those liable to wander into a pond or those who may become confrontational in a crisis, parents will need to lead the charge for better training of law enforcement so that they can help our children and not harm them. They need to understand our children’s communication deficits, difficulties with social skills, and anxiety that may lead them to basic “fight or flight” responses. A valuable resource can be found at the Autism Society of Maine’s website regarding law enforcement and autism with several links to excellent information. [To access this webpage, click here.] I’m hopeful that something can be put in place in every community that will prevent children with autism from wandering and drowning and from having adults with autism being subdued with Tasers or guns. After all, both parents and police officers have the same goal—to protect, especially those who cannot protect themselves. Perhaps some good can then come from these sad situations so that our children with autism will remain safe.

“Because you trusted Me, I will give you your life as a reward. I will rescue you and keep you safe. I, the Lord, have spoken!” Jeremiah 39:18