Experts say police need help to deal with the disabled

By John C. Ensslin, Rocky Mountain News
July 9, 2003

Advocates for the developmentally disabled said Monday that law enforcement should get more training on how to deal with people with mental disabilities.

But they were reluctant to say whether such training might have prevented the shooting of a 15-year-old boy by a Denver police officer Saturday.

In general, however, they contend such training can help defuse situations.

Last year, ARC of Colorado began offering a training program aimed at teaching officers to recognize people with developmental disabilities and how to adjust to them.

"We began it because Colorado law enforcement is largely untrained about people with developmental disabilities," said Nora Earnest, director of advocacy for ARC Colorado.

"They may not understand every word the officer is saying," Earnest said.

She teaches techniques such as avoiding multipart questions and certain body language.

ARC's two-hour course has been offered to police in Lamar and Burlington, but not in the metro area, Earnest said.

Similar courses have been offered in Denver, but they are often combined with training on dealing with people with mental illness, which requires a different approach, she said.

The Colorado Developmental Disabilities Council has been offering training to Denver police for four years.

So far, about 120 officers have been certified after taking the 40-hour course on crisis intervention.

Earlier this year, the group honored one of the graduates for her handling of a situation at the Denver Public Library.

Cpl. Dee Meineke, a training officer in the Montbello area, was called to the library by a security officer who was holding a man for trespassing.

Meineke recognized that the man had a disability and learned he was having trouble getting the right medication.

She avoided making an arrest, according to council Executive Director Marcia Tewell.

Copyright 2003, Rocky Mountain News. All Rights Reserved.