Subject: Dallas Morning News ASCC article on Police training

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   The Metropolitan desk The Metropolitan desk 
   
LEARNING EXPERIENCE

   
  AUTISM GROUP AIMS TO BOOST PLANO OFFICERS' AWARENESS AFTER BOY'S FATAL '95
  SHOOTING
   
   PLANO - In a classroom where Plano police recruits usually learn about
   local laws and department policies, the officers last week heard the
   stories of Michael, Brian and Terrell.
   
   Michael Bankhead, 4, enjoys computers. Nine-year-old Brian Schaefer
   likes to roller-skate. And Terrell Mize, 11, loves listening to
   classical music.
   
   On the outside, each seems like any other boy. But because they're
   autistic, impaired in their ability to communicate and interact
   socially, the boys are locked in a world of their own.
   
   Their parents wanted the officer trainees to learn about their sons
   because of what happened to Michael Clement.
   
   In May 1995, a Plano officer shot and killed Michael, an autistic
   15-year-old who had become agitated and lunged at the approaching
   officer with a serrated table knife.
   
   An investigation cleared the officer of wrongdoing, but some wondered
   whether the death could have been prevented.
   
   "Michael's death really scared other parents because they know this
   could happen to their children," said Michael's mother, Pauline
   Clement.
   
   The concerned parents founded the Autism Society of Collin County to
   increase public awareness about the condition.
   
   "What we found was that a lot of people had information, but they
   weren't sharing it," said David Cornell, the group's president.
   
   Members fund and staff a variety of autism training programs,
   including the first police session for new recruits a week ago.
   
   Instructors started with the basics, explaining that autism is a
   permanent neurological disorder. They also repeated Michael Clement's
   story, without finger pointing or melodrama.
   
   Then the officers met Brian, Michael and Terrell.
   
   "I think one of the things we are most afraid of is for his safety,"
   Terrell's grandmother Enid Mize told the officers. "He's a kid you can
   take by the hand and lead anywhere. . . . We're afraid he'll get
   lost."
   
   Society members want the officers to see the real faces of autism
   during the three-hour training session. "We're just trying to educate
   them," Ms. Clement said. "If a police officer does come across an
   adult or a child with autism, at least they'll know that something is
   wrong here and not think he's on drugs or whatever. . . . Maybe
   they'll have a little more patience."
   
   The session will remain a part of the Plano department's 2 1/2-month
   training program as long as the autism society continues to underwrite
   it and maintain its quality, officials said. "It's worthwhile training
   for us and helps us meet state requirements," Lt. Paul Rimka said.
   
   Studies indicate that 15 of every 10,000 Americans suffer from autism.
   The Collin County autism society wants all Texas police departments to
   train their officers about the disorder.
   
   "Police officers get training about mental illness, mental retardation
   and the deaf and blind" but usually not autism, Mr. Cornell said.
   
   The autism society has come up with safety-alert forms that help 911
   dispatchers immediately identify the homes of disabled people. The
   group also backs state legislation that would provide lifelong
   educational support for autistic people, and it has held workshops to
   help Plano school bus drivers and mental health workers communicate
   more effectively with them.
   
   "I've been really impressed with their energy and the things they're
   doing," said Anne Russell, president of the Dallas Chapter of the
   Autism Society of America, which is 25 years old and has more than 300
   members.
   
   The Plano group's thrust is the police training. Dr. Donald Louis of
   the University of North Texas' department of rehabilitation, social
   work and addiction said dangerous confrontations between police and
   disabled people will continue unless officers get training.
   
   "If they've been trained to pull a gun and shoot, that's how they'll
   respond," said Dr. Louis, who is writing a police training manual on
   how to approach people with developmental disabilities. "We're trying
   to give them one more tool or way to respond to people with these
   kinds of conditions."
   
   Plano Police Chief Bruce Glasscock praises the Collin County autism
   society. "The feedback I've gotten has been pretty positive," he said.
   
   "That's not to say we'll be providing training for every issue or item
   that comes up, but we felt the group seemed to have a quality product
   and something that would be beneficial for our officers."
   
   At last week's program, the recruits paid attention to the training
   videos, charts and lectures. But they seemed to especially enjoy the
   three children and a talk with Mark Sachnik, an unusually articulate
   autistic adult.
   
   The officers were told that people with autism exhibit a variety of
   characteristics, from hand-flapping, rocking or other repetitive
   motions to behavior that causes them to injure themselves. They often
   have difficulty expressing their needs, and some are extremely
   sensitive to sound.
   
   "Like a rainbow, you'll never see two of them exactly alike," said
   Anna Kay Davis, the Plano school district's special education
   coordinator. "You'll see kids with all different levels and skills."
   
   Under stress, an autistic person's behavior could easily be
   misconstrued as hostile, she said. They might respond slowly to
   commands, if at all. They might avoid eye contact and not want anyone
   to touch or be close to them. They might laugh or giggle at the wrong
   time or have a tantrum for no apparent reason.
   
   "But you don't have to be afraid of someone with autism," said autism
   society member Bill Mize, Terrell's grandfather. "They're not violent
   by nature, any more than anybody else. . . . They're really not unlike
   anyone else, they're just withdrawn."
   
   The officers were encouraged to use simple language when encountering
   an individual with autism, to speak clearly and calmly and to slowly
   repeat a question after allowing 15 seconds for a response.
   
   Some of the recruits questioned what they heard. "If an autistic
   person goes to a store and shoplifts, I get the feeling here that
   we're just supposed to stand there and baby-sit," one officer said.
   
   Mr. Cornell said people with autism are more likely to be victims than
   perpetrators of crime. And Ms. Davis told the officer that the autism
   society's program is not intended "to tell you how to react."
   
   "Our goal was to help you identify some of the characteristics," she
   said. "Then you can make a more informed decision."
   
   
   
   By Linda Stewart Ball / The Dallas Morning News
   
   02/10/97