TOLEDO, Ohio — The Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities worked with the Ohio Association of County Board Development Disabilities on Thursday to train local law enforcement on how to interact with people with disabilities while on the job.
Willie Jones, OACB's director of Health, Safety, and Wellness, said it's important to spread awareness about people with developmental disabilities.
"Unfortunately people with developmental disabilities are victimized and abused at a higher rate than any group of people," Jones said.
Michele Myerholtz, LCBDD superintendent, said the board wants officers to better understand people with disabilities so they can know how to approach them properly. She said some people with disabilities may have sensory sensitivities to some stimuli, like touch.
"Oftentimes you have to just slow down, step back and really evaluate based on the cues that someone might be giving you," Myerholtz said.
Cues such as stimming — repetitive movements or noises — and other behaviors were discussed in PowerPoints and video demonstrations to the officers.
LCBDD serves more than 4,000 people and also trains people with disabilities on how to interact with police.
Myerholtz said the training covers subjects like "how to hand your ID over."
"You don't just reach into your pocket without the prompt from the officer," she said.
Jones said training both groups can help create encounters that go more smoothly and have better outcomes.
"It's helping both sides, both individuals and law enforcement, kind of know each other's role," he said. "We want people with developmental disabilities to see law enforcement as somebody they can go to for help."