BY RILEY WILSON
Jacqui Folks worried about what could have happened if another police officer had encountered her son.
The Eudora mother received a call last year from a local police officer telling her that her son, Ethan, who has autism, looked angry while on his usual walk around town.
Her son was not angry, Folks said. He was just determined to get the 53 more steps he needed to complete his step goal. While this interaction with the officer went smoothly, it made Folks wonder if it hadn’t.
“In a moment, a flash of fear like, ‘Oh my God. What if an officer who didn’t know my son would’ve stopped his car and said, ‘Is there a problem here?’ because of the look on his face and there would’ve been a dangerous interaction all because my son was 53 steps away from his steps goal,” Folks said.
After this incident, Folks said she researched collaborative programs between police departments and special needs individuals and brought her findings to Chief Wes Lovett at the Eudora Police Department.
Her idea was well received by Lovett, Folks said, and they began working on a program to educate Eudora police officers of individuals with special needs. The Eudora Police Department recently launched its new Special Needs Awareness Program as a result.
“To see the value in something like that, what it does for a parent of a special needs person to live in a community that values their special needs safety, I mean, seriously, I’ll sleep better at night,” Folks said.
The Eudora Police Department has a form for interested individuals to fill out, which includes providing a picture for identification. The form asks questions such as where the person likes to hangout, if the person has any triggers and when the person typically leaves the house.
These questions are meant to help officers get to know the individuals, Lovett said. All information will be compiled into a notebook for officers to refer to when necessary.
“I think a lot of it is a good education for the police officers on how to deal with these situations,” Lovett said. “The last thing our police department wants is a negative encounter when there doesn’t need to be.”
Caleb Lewis, the school resource officer who called Folks last year, was familiar with Ethan and knew he has autism. Lewis said the program is especially important for officers who may not be familiar with students who have special needs.
“There’s a lot of kids that we have in district that they’re comfortable with me, but not they’re not comfortable with the uniform,” Lewis said.
He said the new program will help officers be proactive in knowing what special needs or triggers a student may have to ensure interactions go smoothly.
Typically, parents and schools are aware of these issues, but officers may not be, Lewis said. The Special Needs Awareness Program allows officers to respond more quickly when a person with special needs may become lost, he said.
“It’s going to give the guys on patrol an idea of where this kid might be going. Does he have a family member at his house? Are there certain things that soothe the child?” Lewis said. “It’s more of a thing to help patrol guys out if they have any interaction with these kids with any type of special needs. It’s kind of an emergency 101 for the guys on patrol.”
The program is open to any individuals, not just students, who want to register. For more information, check the Eudora Police Department Facebook page or contact the department at 542-3121.
Reach reporter Riley Wilson at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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