The Challenges of Assisting Special Populations
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Law Enforcement Executive FORUM The Challenges of Assisting Special Populations March 2008 Law Enforcement Executive Forum Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board Executive Institute Western Illinois University 1 University Circle Macomb, IL 61455-1390 Senior Editor Thomas J. Jurkanin, PhD Editor Vladimir A. Sergevnin, PhD Associate Editors Jennifer Allen, PhD Department of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration, Western Illinois University Barry Anderson, JD Department of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration, Western Illinois University Tony Barringer, EdD Division of Justice Studies, Florida Gulf Coast University Lewis Bender, PhD Department of Public Administration and Policy Analysis, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville Michael Bolton, PhD Chair, Department of Criminal Justice and Sociology, Marymount University Dennis Bowman, PhD Department of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration, Western Illinois University Becky K. da Cruz Criminal Justice and Law and Society, Armstrong Atlantic State University Jose de Arimateia da Cruz Political Science and Comparative Politics, Armstrong Atlantic State University Weysan Dun Special Agent-in-Charge, FBI, Newark Division Kenneth Durkin, MA Department of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration, Western Illinois University Larry Hoover, PhD Director, Police Research Center, Sam Houston State University William Lewinski, PhD Director, Force Science Research Center, Minnesota State University William McCamey, PhD Department of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration, Western Illinois University John Millner State Senator of 28th District, Illinois General Assembly Stephen A. Morreale, DPA School of Public Policy and Administration/Criminal Justice, Walden University Gregory Boyce Morrison Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Ball State University Michael J. Palmiotto Wichita State University Law Enforcement Executive Forum • 2008 • 8(2) Associate Editors (cont.) Gene L. Scaramella, PhD Dean of Graduate Studies, Ellis College of New York Institute of Technology Wayne Schmidt Director, Americans for Effective Law Enforcement Editorial Production Document and Publication Services, Western Illinois University, Macomb, Illinois Production Assistant Linda Brines The Law Enforcement Executive Forum is published six times per year by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board Executive Institute located at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois. Subscription: $40 (see last page) ISSN 1552-9908 No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. Disclaimer Reasonable effort has been made to make the articles herein accurate and consistent. Please address questions about individual articles to their respective author(s). Law Enforcement Executive Forum • 2008 • 8(2) Table of Contents Editorial ................................................................................................................. i Vladimir A. Sergevnin The Challenges of Assisting Special Populations Police and Asperger Syndrome: The Invisible Autistic Spectrum Disorder ............................................................................................. 1 Michael J. Bolton Heather A. Bolton Persons with Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities: The Law Enforcement Role and Responsibility .......................................... 15 Dennis W. Bowman Angela L. Wingo Law Enforcement Officers: The Challenge(s) of Assisting Citizens Who Have Alzheimer’s Disease and Maintaining Safety .......................... 23 Tony A. Barringer HIV/AIDS and Law Enforcement Practices ..................................................... 37 Arthur J. Lurigio Justyna Lenik Shoot Me! An Overview of Suicide by Cop .................................................... 49 DeVere D. Woods Jr. David Polizzi No Choice but to Fight or Be a Punk: Violent Girls and the Police ............ 61 Vivian J. Carlson Screening Participants into Mental Health Court Jail Diversion Programs ........................................................................................... 77 Julie B. Raines Effects of Specialized Training on Police Perspectives Towards Responding to Persons with Mental Disorders ........................................... 85 Shamir Ratansi Force Science Forum: Command Types Used in Police Encounters ........... 99 Emily N. Schwarzkopf Daniel D. Houlihan Kari Kolb William Lewinski Jeffrey Buchanan Angela Christenson Law Enforcement Executive Forum • 2008 • 8(2) Minorities From the Ashes of Tragedy: The Birth of the NAACP .................................. 115 Ronald D. Swan Crime The Emotional and Behavioral Impact of Burglary: A Case Study of Victims in a Midwestern City .......................................................................... 129 Michael L. Birzer Paul Cromwell Fear of Crime on Campus and Other Perceptions: The Impact of Being a CRCJ Major ....................................................................................................... 147 Rhonda R. Dobbs John W. Stickels Sara Jane Mobley Law Enforcement Standards Physical Ability in Law Enforcement: Perceptions of Chiefs and Supervisors .................................................................................................. 167 Daryl Bissett Clete Snell Legal Issues LAPD Officers Win Consent Decree Against Hollenbeck’s “Community Activist”: Woman Filed Over 120 Complaints Against East LA Gang Officers ........................................................................ 183 Michael P. Stone Marc J. Berger Materials/publications are available through the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board Executive Institute. Law Enforcement Executive Forum • 2008 • 8(2) Editorial Changing patterns in society ultimately impact the police mission. As one example, in recent years we have witnessed the restructuring of law enforcement operations precipitated by the ever-present threat of terrorism and the demands of homeland security. There is no question that law enforcement professionals are faced with a constant shift in job duties, responsibilities, and priorities. The heart of the law enforcement mission is “serving the public.” This functional component of the job should never wane, regardless of shifting patterns in crime or emergent enforcement priorities. It is with this thought that we as law enforcement professionals should remind ourselves of the following: As we fight dragons, we should not neglect our duty to serve all citizens, including those with special needs. The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board has initiated a project in 2008 to identify “best practices” for law enforcement agencies and officers in serving “special populations.” The Board’s intent is to focus on the police response to persons with mental illness, autism and developmental disabilities, victims of Alzheimer’s disease, victims of HIV/AIDS and other physically disabling afflictions, the homeless, and various other categories of special populations. This edition of the Forum, with its focus on special populations, will begin a much wider look at how law enforcement works to meet the needs of special populations. Additional research, policy development and curriculum, and training program development will follow. The first step in better serving special need citizens is for law enforcement to better understand those with special needs. The following quote by Marge Piercy emphasizes this point: Life is the first gift, love is the second, and understanding the third. Thomas J. Jurkanin, PhD Law Enforcement Executive Forum • 2008 • 8(2) i Police and Asperger Syndrome: The Invisible Autistic Spectrum Disorder Michael J. Bolton, PhD, Professor, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Marymount University Heather A. Bolton, Teacher and Lead Behavioral Therapist, AdvoServ The following is a vignette based on a composite of individuals with autistic spectrum disorders. For illustration purposes, it describes an incident involving a therapist and a young male client who was taken on an outing that included a brief stop at a local restaurant for lunch: Soon after the waitress seated them, the client noticed a coffee maker by the kitchen and inquired, “Coffee?” She assured him that she’d be right back with a pot of coffee. A moment later, the waitress walked quickly by, arms laden with a tray of entrées for other customers. He pointed again, “Coffee.” Another five minutes went by. Highly agitated now, face reddening, voice growing louder and faster, he repetitively repeated his request, totally oblivious to the scene he was creating. At this exact moment, another waitress passed by carrying a tray with a carafe of hot coffee on it. Despite the therapist’s efforts to calm him, he bolted out of his seat and lunged for the waitress in order to get to the carafe. He then knocked her to the ground, snatched the pot, and excitedly splashed the scalding coffee over his face in an attempt to drink it. Several customers panicked and headed for the exit doors. This example may describe the sort of behavior Hans Asperger (1944) observed when he first coined the term autistic psychopathy, which Wing (1981) later changed to Asperger syndrome. Asperger syndrome (AS) describes a high-functioning form of autism, which is similar but not identical to the more severe forms of autistic disorders. In both instances, individuals tend to be self-centered; lack empathy for others; and have idiosyncratic, repetitive interests; however, the person