GRAND PRAIRIE (1080 KRLD) - Police officers in Grand Prairie are among the first in North Texas to be trained in autism awareness.
A group of Grand Prairie officers went through the training yesterday. It was given by a retired police commander who has an autistic teenager.
The officers were given a basic understanding of the autism spectrum disorder, certain behaviors of people on the spectrum, and ways to effectively communicate.
“Some people on the autism spectrum are nonverbal, won’t make eye contact or make hand flapping gestures in front of their face,” says Courtney Runnels, Grand Prairie police’s mental health coordinator. “Other times they may just repeat what somebody says to them or just answer ‘Yes’ to every question.”
Runnels says there are also certain narcotics where the effects can make a person appear as though they're on the spectrum. Officers also learned how to tell the difference there.
The training also talked through potential high risk and crisis incidents, and gave tips on interviewing victims, witness or suspects with autism.
Working with autistic people may not be a regular occurrence for police officers, but Runnels says this training will be valuable during their entire career.
“This is absolutely something our officers will encounter at some point.”