The Lucas County Developmental Disabilities Board serves more than 4,000 people.
TOLEDO, Ohio — The Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities, in partnership with the Ohio Association of County Commissioners Developmental Disabilities, on Thursday provided training to local law enforcement on how to interact with individuals 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 higher rates than any other group,” Jones said.
LCBDD Superintendent Michelle Meyerholz said the committee wants police officers to better understand people with disabilities and know how to interact with them appropriately, some of whom may have sensory sensitivities to stimuli such as touch, she said.
“A lot of times you just have to slow down, take a step back and really evaluate based on the cues that someone might be giving you,” Meyerholz said.
Cues such as stimming (repetitive movements or sounds) and other behaviors were explained in PowerPoint and video demonstrations to officers.
LCBDD serves more than 4,000 people and also trains people with disabilities on how to interact with police.
Meyerholz said the training will cover topics such as “how to hand over identification.”
“There’s no way you’re reaching into your pocket without being told to do so by an officer,” she said.
Jones said training both groups can help encounters go more smoothly and produce better outcomes.
“This helps both individuals and police know each other’s roles,” he said. “We want people with developmental disabilities to see the police as someone they can turn to for help.”