Surfside Beach Police officers are certified to better serve people on the autism spectrum after completing a training program from the Champion Autism Network (CAN).
Autism is a spectrum, and sensory overload can combine with misunderstanding context in many ways.
“If they’re at a traffic stop, and the police officer asks to see their license, and the license is in their wallet in their back pocket that they’re sitting on, the person with autism might say ‘no, you can’t see my license,’” CAN's Executive Director, Becky Large said.
She knows how people on the spectrum vary and combine in all sorts of ways well, because her son has high-functioning autism.
Don’t ever ask your high-functioning autistic mate, or son if you look good! Unless you really want the answer.
She said others might have facial blindness, making interactions even more challenging.
“They can’t recognize a smile, or a sneer, or tears, or someone who’s frustrated. They don’t see that. So there’s a whole host of things that are being communicated to them, not verbally,” she said.
“We really have to rely on the outside world to support the people with autism, and pick up on the cues.”
She said that is especially important for police officers.
"The cop might put his hand on the gun, or the tazer, and the person with autism is still not picking up on it, and all of a sudden, they’re getting pulled out of a car, who knows? We’ve seen it."
That’s exactly what CAN’s program hopes to avoid. After Surfside Beach Police Department’s completion, Chief Kenneth Hofmann said it’s bringing benefits to any de-escalating situation.
“If officers have those skills to be able to recognize any trait, autism as well, they can just slow it down a little bit, and communicate in the right way,” Chief Hofmann said.
It also brings officers into someone with autism’s world.
“It’s not like a 40-minute, ‘oh my god,’ snooze fest,” Large said. “That’s not the point, we want it to be engaging, we want people to remember.”
Chief Hofmann said they also worked with CAN to create the Community Assistance Program, or CAP. It lets families who live in the town, or are visiting, fill out a form to list special needs.
“Just for example, not running your siren if we have information that that could create problems, then the officer could know to turn the siren off at an appropriate time,” he said.
“This type of training is so important to a good, healthy functioning police department and police officers within their community."