US police take action to learn about autism

February 11, 2008

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11 February 2008

A police force in the US is taking action to educate its members

about autism and how to cope with the condition while on duty.

Officers located in Hillsborough, New Jersey are taking part in

seminars and workshops to better prepare them for working with the

1,200 autistic people living in the town.

" We just heard of situation after situation (where police officers

were involved in a situation with a special-needs child) that could

have gone better, " Weitzen from Parents of Autistic Children

told the Courier News.

Seminars such as 'Autism Shield Program for Autism Recognition and

Response', attended by Hillsborough police chief Kaminksy aim to

educate officers in how to approach special needs residents, rather

than how to diagnose them.

The programmes also teach members of the police force that someone

with autism or Asperger's Syndrome might not understand the warnings

given by police or may not understand the significance of non-verbal

communication, for example.

All 56 of Hillsborough's police officers have now been trained in

dealing with people with autism. Mr Kaminsky said: " With autism being

a part of our community and school system, we thought it was

important that all our officers be thoroughly trained with the

recognition and proper response with people with autism. "

According to the National Autistic Society, there are around half a

million people with autism in the UK.

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