Cumming Police Department training officers to improve interactions for people with autism

CUMMING, Ga. — A new initiative by the Cumming Police Department aims to improve interactions between first responders and individuals with autism through specialized training.

The program, known as the Community Autism Program, gives officers strategies to better handle situations involving people with autism.

Channel 2′s Bryan Mims learned the program has a personal connection for the department.

“We have a sergeant that works for us, and he has a son with autism,” Cumming Police Chief P.J. Girvan said.

He emphasized the importance of understanding and compassion in these interactions.

“We’ve seen video where officers -- I don’t want to say mistreated people with autism, but they misunderstood it. If they had more knowledge, they would have approached the situation differently,” Girvan said.

Girvan told Mims that officers are learning to recognize when someone with autism might be non-verbal and not responding to commands, which could otherwise be mistaken for non-compliance or impairment, leading to potentially forceful responses.

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“Maybe this person doesn’t like blue lights -- we’ll kill the blue lights. It will just help us respond to these calls differently,” he said.

As part of the program, families of individuals with autism can obtain car decals and wristbands to alert officers.

“We’re hoping to educate the community so when they see those bands, they can let 911 know -- hey, we have an autistic kid here. He may be non-verbal, so let’s handle this situation with care,” Girvan said.

Several other departments in metro Atlanta, including South Fulton police, have launched similar efforts.

South Fulton police’s “Autism Safety 101″ provides a four-hour course to teach effective communication techniques to individuals who have autism.

Girvan mentioned that the sergeant with a son who has autism will undergo additional specialized training to further educate his colleagues.

“We’ve seen how big a deal it’s been to his life,” Girvan said.

The Cumming Police Department hopes to expand this training to include fire and rescue services and other police departments in the area.

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