Autism New Jersey Invites Chiefs of Police to Work Together

On October 5, 2023, Autism New Jersey had the privilege of addressing more than 200 New Jersey Chiefs of Police at the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJSACOP) monthly meeting.

NJSACOP’s mission is to promote and enhance the highest ethical and professional standards in law enforcement at all levels throughout New Jersey. The mission includes a key objective: recognizing the individual needs of all residents, including those with developmental disabilities such as autism.

“Police chiefs across New Jersey are keenly aware of the challenges posed by working with people with disabilities; training of officers at all levels of a police department is critical to ensuring law enforcement serves with compassion and understanding,” said Spring Lake Police Chief Edward Kerr, president of the association.

Executive Director Dr. Suzanne Buchanan introduced Autism New Jersey’s Law Enforcement Initiative, citing the challenges and opportunities for improving safety for both the autism community and officers. With a pledge to approach this work humbly and collaboratively, Buchanan described the initiative and how Chiefs could engage in this first-of-its-kind and coordinated statewide endeavor.

“While local police departments are always making strides to improve their interactions through yearly training and engagement with various members of the community, many individuals in law enforcement have continued to express a desire for more information and resources on autism,” Buchanan stated. She continued, “Effective training, knowledge of autism-friendly resources, and positive relationships between autistic individuals, their families, and law enforcement are all important ways to support law enforcement.”

Captain (R) Jerry Turning, Jr., a father of an adult with autism, accompanied Autism New Jersey and expanded on the path forward. Turning acknowledged that, “the challenges faced by each community, both on their own and in combination, require thoughtful solutions that bring people together and acknowledge that there are numerous stakeholders involved. No one solution will be enough to support the needs of these two communities.”

Autism New Jersey’s Information Services Coordinator, Claire Wieczerak, MSW, shared that the agency’s 800.4.AUTISM Helpline is a resource for anyone with questions about autism, treatment, service navigation, and more, including members of the law enforcement community, and that every call is addressed as comprehensively as possible with her own social work mindset and her colleagues’ lived experience and legal, clinical, and policy expertise.

Following the presentation portion, many Chiefs expressed hopefulness that statewide coordination would be mutually beneficial and shared both their own efforts and desire to be involved to advance autism-friendly law enforcement practices.

“Given the demonstrated leadership and growing interest in formalizing efforts to support individuals with disabilities among Chiefs statewide, we were extremely interested in hosting Autism New Jersey at one of our monthly meetings, as we work together to address these issues,” he said. “We very much appreciated the thoughtful discussion as our collaboration with Autism New Jersey and other groups serving people with developmental disabilities remains a prime objective.”

Autism New Jersey also exhibited at NJSACOP’s mid-year meeting on December 7, 2023, and many new connections were made. Dr. Buchanan and Ms. Wieczerak had the pleasure of talking with municipal chiefs, New Jersey State Human Services Police, and officers who are also parents of children and adults with autism – all of whom expressed deep appreciation and desire to be involved in our initiative.

Autism New Jersey is grateful to the NJSACOP and looks forward to continued dialogue and collaboration.

Are you a law enforcement officer, prosecutor's office, or work in a related professional role? We welcome the opportunity to connect with you. Please email us at LE@autismnj.org.