Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar and the Kronsosky Charitable Foundation today unveiled a series of stickers which are available to people with special needs which will alert law enforcement to the possibility that people in the house and car may not respond in the expected way to police commands and instructions, News Radio 1200 WAOI reports.
The stickers will warn deputies of individuals with autism, diabetic shock, and other conditions."One of these conditions that is represented here is sometimes taken by law enforcement as a sign of intoxication, be it at a traffic stop or at a residence," Salazar said.
He cited incidents around the country where the response of a person with autism, for example, to an officer's commands, may appear to be disrespectful or even belligerent, and that has led to routine interactions ending in violence.Pamela Allen's son is autistic, and she recalls the time when deputies answered a call and her house, and he responded by hiding in a closet.
"My thought was, if you see someone in a closet, law enforcement, that this is not a victim, this is the perpetrator, and I was very scared about that," she said.
The stickers weill be available from organizations which deal with people who have specific special needs.