Proposed law requires Florida police be trained on handling people with autism
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A new Florida bill would require law enforcement to receive training on how to properly identify and handle individuals with autism while performing their duties.
Rep. Paula Stark, R-St. Cloud, filed HB 829 Tuesday, which implements the required standards via the Florida Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission.
The commission, which is a body within the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, would be required to create a minimum four hour training component on interacting with people who might have autism spectrum disorder.
Individuals with the disorder typically have difficulty communicating, exhibit repetitive behaviors and have an impaired ability to function in certain areas of life, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
Under the bill, the following must be established in the training program:
- The characteristics of autism and how it originates
- How to interrogate or interview a person with autism, including how to ensure the person’s rights are protected
- How to find and pursue an individual with autism who “runs away” and is in danger, along with returning the person with “as little stress as possible” towards them
- Being able to identify the person’s “agency” and determining potentially coercive/abusive situations
- How to deescalate a dangerous situation that maximizes the safety of all parties involved
- How to determine if a person has autism, or is simply being belligerent or otherwise
- Understanding challenges to the person with autism’s safety in a correctional facility
- Understanding an officer interaction’s impact on the person with autism
The bill requires all recruits obtain the training. The components must also be included in all required training for continued employment as an officer.
If approved by lawmakers and the governor, the law would take effect July 1, 2024.
