Experts say that Autism Training for Law Enforcement in NJ Often Leads to Better Outcomes

With statistics indicating that one of every 49 children born in New Jersey develops some form of autism, prosecutors say it’s inevitable that law enforcement officers will come in contact with someone with the neurological disorder.

Whether it’s a child who wandered off or an adult implicated in a crime, law enforcement officers need to learn the special techniques to handle a person with autism to prevent the escalation of what could potentially be a field of land mines in emergency situations, prosecutors say.

To familiarize emergency responders with those techniques, the County Prosecutors Association of New Jersey is holding a two-day statewide seminar prosecutors hope will go a long way toward changing how law enforcement officers deal with people with autism.