By Police1 Staff
This information comes from a recent Police1 poll. Polls are updated on the P1 homepage twice a month and open to all P1 readers. Make your voice heard HERE in our latest poll.
April is World Autism Month, and World Autism Awareness Day was held on April 2. In recognition of this, we asked our P1 readers last week if they’ve received in-service training on how to interact with individuals who have autism spectrum disorder. Here are the results:
Unfortunately, this training appears to be lacking among those agencies represented in the poll – with only around 45% of officers saying they have received training and another 7% saying it’s in the works at their department.
With the increase in those affected by autism, it’s likely that you will have contact with an ASD subject at some point in your law enforcement career. Check out the following articles to educate yourself further on this issue:
Autism training for police officers: The basics of response
More kids with autism means more police contacts with ASD subjects
Autism FYI offers free training, app and more to law enforcement
3 steps toward understanding autism challenges during traffic stops
Ohio bill creates communication-disability registry for police
Have you had any contacts with ASD subjects in the field? If so, what were some of the challenges? Share your experience in the comments section, and don’t forget to weigh in on our latest poll.