Police in Elgin, Illinois emphasize difference made by autism awareness

CBS News

02-05-2025

The number of people diagnosed with autism continues to grow, and for police departments, that means an increased likelihood their officers will encounter someone on the spectrum.
With that in mind, a statewide initiative in Illinois is focusing on making sure the interactions end positively.
CBS News Chicago visited as Elgin police officers were in the midst of an autism awareness training exercise. An officer was reading the children's book, "Let's Go for a Drive!" by Mo Willems, but he was screaming the words instead of reading them quietly. Another officer sat in a chair, while a third tickled his face with red feathers.
A second officer was speaking with a book in hand, but was drowned out.
What in the world was all this about? It may sound absurd, but it's actually something very important. Stefan Bjes, owner of Blue Line Spectrum Safety, explained.
"This is what I mean about sensory overload," Bjes said. "So this is the way someone with autism is seeing their environment."
Illinois Senate Bill 3201 made such autism awareness training mandatory for police as of Jan. 1.
"It's a wonderful thing, and it's long overdue," said Bjes.
Bjes has spent the last six years teaching first responders about autism through his company. He is a former law enforcement officer himself, and a dad with two boys on the autism spectrum.
Bjes is trying to flip the script on tragic stories like one out of Pocatello, Idaho just a few weeks ago. Victor Perez, 17 — who was described as nonverbal, autistic and intellectually disabled and also had cerebral palsy — was shot by officers after stepping toward them with a knife when he had been told to drop it. Perez later died.
It was another tragic case involving police and a person with autism.
"We don't want to be the next YouTube video that goes viral for something negative," Bjes said. "We want to be the positive thing."
A better understanding of the disorder can help officers detect it, and get creative about how to calm a situation.
"It could be limiting the number of officers on the scene," said. "It could be turning down our radios; if you went lights and sirens, reducing that."
One exercise in the autism awareness training simulates the experience of nonverbal children and adults. An officer stands in the front of the room and tries to communicate without words.
Difficulty sharing a message may cause nonverbal people frustration.
"We can really offset that by using communication strategies as visuals, or, I tell officers, we all carry a pen and piece of paper on us, in our notebooks, in our vests," said Bjes. "It'd be as simple as writing back and forth."
Some Illinois departments are voluntarily implementing other tools to help officers interact with the autism community. In Elgin, every squad car contains a sensory kit — with items such as stress balls to help calm subjects with autism down.
The kits also contain headphones and dry-erase boards.
"Something to take their mind off of, you know, the things that they're going through, so that we're able to communicate effectively," said Elgin police Detective Chad Benavidez.
Elgin police also just launched the Blue Envelope Program. Drivers with autism can store important documents inside.
In a checklist intended for police officers, the envelope explains that the driver may exhibit signs of anxiety due to bright lights and noises, display repetitive body movements or fidgeting, and have unusual response to authority figures, among t other concerns.
"As soon as they see this, it's that prompt," said Elgin police Chief Ana Lalley. "It's a very visual prompt of 'OK, I need to slow this down.'"
Lalley is proud of the steps her team has taken — including co-hosting a recent autism acceptance celebration to demonstrate an understanding of the disability.
"When you humanize not only the officers but the community in which you police, that's where the magic happens," Lalley said.
Elgin police have been taking autism awareness classes for the past few years. The new law that mandates autism awareness training for police says officers need to complete a course every three years.