SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) – The Summerville Police Department is inviting officers and other Lowcountry first responders to a week of in-depth training on understanding and interacting with people with mental health challenges and disabilities. I participated in.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness hosts trainings, including a session on autism hosted by the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs. Stephanie Turner, head of the autism department, said the training is not required and is not covered as much at the academy.
“One of the main challenges is the lack of knowledge. So when I started training, I asked if anyone had heard of autism and not everyone raised their hand. ” Turner says.
Turner said it’s important to be aware of these situations because they impact a large portion of the population that law enforcement agencies are set up to protect and serve. According to Turner, 1 in 36 children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.
“So the purpose of this training is to give police officers a new perspective on what autism is and what autistic behaviors are. So when they arrive on scene, They may have assessed it as one-sided, but after this training they may think to themselves, well, maybe it’s autism. Maybe they don’t talk to me. “Not because he’s not compliant, but because he’s on the autism spectrum and physically can’t do it,” Turner says.
Somerville Police Officer Casey Morris said the patrol calls played through a new lens in his head during training.
“I just sat in class and started replaying scenarios where I thought, ‘Okay, well, if I knew this, maybe I could approach this a little bit differently.'” You think you’re approaching things in a way that you just don’t know and you think it’s effective, but it’s essentially not,” Morris says. .
She said most police training focuses on quick and effective response, but effectiveness is paramount. Officers in the field often have to make split-second decisions, and Morris said this training will help them know what to scan and how to interpret what they see. .
“We need to find balance. We need time to take a step back. Look at what we have, you know, safety is not just for them, it’s for us around us. So in most cases, taking that 5 seconds to take a deep breath and understand that this is more than just a phone call. It may take some time,” Morris said.
During the training, Turner asked officers to classify people exhibiting repetitive or autistic behaviors as either OK, problematic or dangerous. After assessing the level of the situation, she provided steps they should take and ways to question people who react in ways that indicate they are on the spectrum. Turner suggests standing at arm’s length from her, waiting 5 seconds for her to answer her questions, and giving her 30 seconds to build trust with the other person.
Morris recalls responding to a call about a 19-year-old boy with autism who was violent towards those around him.
“I remember going into the house one day and he was getting into a physical fight with the other residents. And when I got there, he wasn’t violent, but just talking. He didn’t want to, so he stopped talking to me in law enforcement. Looking back, I remember he had a lot of DVDs. And I started thinking, “Hey, do you like DVDs? Do you like movies?” That would have been more effective and would have gotten Stephanie’s attention. It could have been,” Morris says.
Turner said some of the people she works with have concerns about law enforcement dealing with their mental health and disabilities.
“All police officers participating in today’s training and similar trainings across the state will be given autism pins and are encouraged to wear them on their uniforms. “To show the community that we’re here to help them understand what autism is and what autism is.” We are trained to assist in this,” Turner said.
Training is not required, but departments can always request a week-long program with on-site training. Turner said some agencies in the upstate require the program locally for early-career police officers.
“We want community carers to be able to breathe a sigh of relief when they see this pin and our staff respond, instead of having the anxiety they may have had before this training,” Turner said. To tell.
Morris said the training is not required for all Somerville police officers, but Chief Doug Wright requested the event and encouraged as many officers as possible to participate.
“This training is extremely helpful because it shows us signs and symptoms that we may not initially recognize as autism or mental illness. We are not medical professionals. And this… I think it will also be helpful for people in the community who have, or may have, a family member or friend with a mental illness.This training will give us new eyes on how to overcome mental illness. It allows you to open up and approach specific people and situations,” Morris says.
For more information about the South Carolina Office of Disabilities and Special Needs, click here.
Click here to learn more about the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
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