HAINES CITY, Fla. — This Autism Awareness Month, the Haines City Police Department is making sure its officers are better equipped to respond to the community.
When Officer Justin Glover gets a call, he has no time to wait. He jumps into his patrol car, ready for anything, even calls that require a different kind of response.
“We have a dry-erase board and a marker, so this is good, especially with nonverbal autistic individuals. They can write out how they’re feeling. Do a smiley face or a frowny face,” Glover said. “They can also write out what happened during the incident. That way we can give the assistance that we need.”
Each Haines City police cruiser is equipped with a sensory box filled with tools that can be used when interacting with people on the spectrum. The initiative started two years ago after the department’s executive assistant, Holly Gorsline, said she spoke with coworkers about their experiences.
“I heard a couple of stories about a couple of our officers that had encountered autistic children, and they have actually given them their badge to play with to kind of calm them down,” she said. “It made me realize that they don’t have the tools and things like that out in the field for kids or adults that have autism.”
After some research, Gorsline’s idea became part of daily patrols. Since then, Police Chief Isaac Jackson said the sensory boxes have helped officers build rapport with community members — whether they’re in crisis or a suspect in a crime.
“It becomes one of those things where it’s like, ‘Ha! I think I have something to help you,’” Jackson said.
Special Services Lt. Andre Stoudmire said the boxes are just the beginning. He is actively searching for new initiatives, including an Autism Decal Program similar to one adopted by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
“So, when officers do stop a vehicle or go to a home, it will have the decal on the back that indicates that the person driving or there may be a passenger in that vehicle that’s on the spectrum so we’ll know how to approach or handle that situation,” Stoudmire said.
Glover said he is looking forward to having more tools to help with his day-to-day work. He said something as small as a fidget toy can make a world of difference.
“If they can take their mind off of the situation and kind of distract them, but at the same time give us the information that they need, it’s perfect,” he said.
Not only for the officers involved, but for the people they serve.
