Mar 8, 2023, Coal Valley News, Danville, WV: House approves bill to provide law enforcement with training on autism, Alzheimer's, dementia https://www.coalvalleynews.com/news/house-approves-bill-to-provide-law-enforcement-with-training-on-autism-alzheimers-dementia/article_64e1a06e-6c27-5e53-a230-e77324ec223d.html
CHARLESTON — A bill headed to Gov. Jim Justice for consideration would provide law enforcement officers with training to appropriately respond to people with autism spectrum disorders, Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
Senate Bill 208 on Thursday cleared the House of Delegates, where it was approved 95-1, with four delegates absent, after already having cleared the Senate.
The bill would require the Law-Enforcement Professional Standards Subcommittee to establish a basic-training curriculum course for law enforcement and corrections officers in appropriate interactions with individuals with autism spectrum disorders, Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
The subcommittee also would be required to develop guidelines for law enforcement response to individuals with these diagnoses who are victims or witnesses to a crime, or suspected or convicted of a crime….
“It’s very difficult to identify someone with autism, let alone when you’re in any emergency situation where their behavior may be a lot different,” Foggin said. “In 1990, in a town I’m familiar with, there were 286 people tested to become a police officer. Last night, there were four in the same town.”
The training course relating to Alzheimer’s and dementia would consist of two hours and should be based on evidence-informed research into the identification of persons with those afflictions, according to the bill. It would cover risks such as wandering or elder abuse, and the best practices for law enforcement officers interacting with such persons, according to the bill.
The course would be delivered by any qualified entity, organization or person approved by the Law-Enforcement Professional Standards Subcommittee, according to the bill….
The course of instruction and the guidelines relating to autism spectrum disorders would be developed and delivered by the West Virginia Autism Training Center at Marshall University, according to the bill.
The bill establishes guidelines for the course to cover topics such as positive responses to individuals with autism and the de-escalation of potentially dangerous situations, as well as provide an understanding of the way individuals with autism process sensory stimuli and language. It could also cover social communication, language difficulties likely to affect interaction, and appropriate methods of interrogation, according to the bill….
Delegate Danielle Walker, D-Monongalia, said that as a mother of a child with an autism diagnosis, the bill would provide another “layer of trust” for the law enforcement community….
Many people with an autism diagnosis are high-functioning but still have triggers, Walker said. This legislation would train law enforcement officials on how to respond to that….
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