Utah Valley University’s Melisa Nellesen Center for Autism recently hosted the Orem City Police Department for a training on crisis intervention and working with people who have autism or in a variety of circumstances.
Nearly 95% of Orem City Police Officers are trained to help with crisis intervention and work with those who have autism.
“It’s so beneficial to the community for officers to know how to help in those situations instead of escalating things,” Sgt. Jeremy Jamison said.
Laurie Bowen, associate director of community outreach for the Center for Autism, spoke about the importance of having this training in the community.
“Many people have invisible disabilities so you can’t always tell if someone has a disability,” Bowen said. “It might appear someone is more dangerous than they really are if they have a mental illness or autism. This training protects the officers and the families who will one day need help.”
Bowen offered three helpful tips for people throughout the community whose children may have mental illnesses or autism.
“Nearly 50% of children with autism will run away at some point,” Bowen said. “The more information officers have and the more familiar they are with [autism], the safer everyone is. It’s often literally a matter of life or death.”
Bowen recommends families register and create a profile of their loved one with their local police department, that way information will be available immediately when help is needed.
Bowen encourages families to interact with police and first responders any chance they can in a non-threatening environment and situation.
“Giving families an opportunity to go to events and meet officers [is beneficial] so that their kids can be familiar with police officers in a fun and safe setting, so that if they’re in a crisis it’s less intimidating.”
Often, interactions with police and first responders can become overwhelming for people with mental illness or autism, and that overwhelming feeling can affect communication. Bowen encourages carrying a form of written communication that can be helpful in these situations.
“If an adult is on the spectrum, it would be nice to have them put a card in their wallet so that if communication gets difficult it can say, ‘Please contact this person to help with communication.’”
Orem City Police Department has been supportive and enthusiastic about helping officers receive training to help people in crisis.
“Chief Gary Giles has a passion for this cause,” said Jamison. “UVU is a great partner because we’ve had this event here for years. It’s good for awareness in the community for the officers to be here. It shows what we’re doing to help those individuals.”
Nearly 50% of children with autism will run away at some point. The more information officers have and the more familiar they are with [autism], the safer everyone is. It’s often literally a matter of life or death.
