Treat people with autism appropriately
Law enforcement is a diverse duty, and people with autism are part of that diversity. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, hypersensitivities, attention, motor coordination and repetitive behaviors. It is estimated that 1 in 68 children are born with this disorder. There is no known single cause of autism, but increased awareness and early diagnosis/intervention and access to appropriate services/supports lead to significantly improved outcomes.
The Ponce Inlet Police Department has affixed Autism Awareness Month decals to our patrol vehicles to show support and spread awareness. But there’s more to say.
Just as each emergency differs from the next, so does the individual involved, especially in regards to individuals with autism spectrum disorders. We are trained to respond to a crisis situation with a certain protocol, but that protocol may not always be the best way to interact with individuals with autism. Because we are usually the first to respond to an emergency, it is critical that we have a working knowledge of autism, and the wide variety of behaviors individuals with autism can exhibit in emergencies.
A person with autism might:
*Have an impaired sense of danger.
*Wander to bodies of water, traffic or other dangers.
* Be overwhelmed by police presence, fear a person in uniform (such as fire turnout gear) or exhibit curiosity and reach for objects and equipment (such as shiny badges or handcuffs).
* React with “fight or flight.”
*Not respond to “stop” or other commands.
*Have delayed speech and language skills.
*Not respond to his/her name or verbal commands.
*Avoid eye contact.
*Engage in repetitive behavior (for example, rocking, “stimming,” hand-flapping, spinning).
*Have sensory perception issues.
*Have epilepsy or seizure disorder.
If we are able to identify that a child or adult may have autism, we can then respond in a way that best supports the individual.
When interacting with a person with autism:
*Be patient and give the person space.
*Use simple and concrete sentences.
*Give plenty of time for a person to process and respond.
*Be alert to signs of increased frustration and try to eliminate the source if possible as behavior may escalate.
*Avoid quick movements and loud noises.
*Do not touch the person unless absolutely necessary.
*Use information from a caregiver, if available, on how to best respond.
Our mission here is to recognize the symptoms, respond and interact appropriately, ensure the safety of all involved, and demonstrate support and awareness for those in our community.
Frank Fabrizio
Ponce Inlet
Fabrizio is Ponce Inlet's police chief.
A cheap shot
The single strongest deterrent to jail suicide is the presence of another person. That fact is the basis for the inmate observers at the Volusia County Jail. They do not counsel or treat. They do not serve as a substitute for professional staff or an alternative to other measures known to and implemented by that professional staff. The inmate observers are a supplement in a suicide prevention effort that constantly pursues improvement.
(READ: Inmate, experts raise questions about inmate observer program)
Apparently based on the complaint of one inmate who prefers to watch TV, The News-Journal leaps to the baseless conclusion that an effort to enhance suicide prevention represents an abandonment of responsibility by jail management. Were it not so insulting the judgment would simply be ignorant. The News-Journal needlessly impugns a committed, professional staff and misses the substantive issue because it’s easier to throw rocks from the cheap seats.
Mary Anne Connors, Ormond Beach
— Connors is Volusia County’s former deputy county manager.
Weather! Weather!
I am siting here looking at the rain and wondering if anyone else out there remembers when a Florida thunderstorm was just a thunderstorm. It seems they have become an epic major weather event. We have been having these storms as long as I’ve been in Florida, some 40 years. Almost every day there is a storm somewhere in Central Florida. They come and in and in a very short while they are gone. As the weather gets warmer the more often they come. It has been that way forever.
Now the media make it a huge event, with warnings, program interruptions on TV and alerts on phones — most of which come out after the storm is in the area. The best alert is to listen for the thunder and look out the window for bad weather.
People just need to use their heads and stay vigilant. But stand by, people, it’s going to be a long, hot summer of alerts.
Andrew Fennel, Deltona
Dinner and a show
I absolutely agree with the concerns of last weeks’ letters regarding the parking problems at the Peabody Auditorium. I, too, am a season subscriber to both the symphony and the Broadway series.
Another issue to consider is that when planning an evening at the theater, many attendees like to have an early dinner at one of the many local restaurants. This was not possible for us for the last couple of performances, due to having to be in line at least an hour prior in order to park.
Hopefully, the parking situation can be remedied soon, so the theater experience can be enjoyed outside of the car.
Bev Skillicorn, New Smyrna Beach
Half the story
Where have all the investigative reporters gone that touted that they gave the public all the facts? The media have continually been reporting stories that are biased with only the side that will sensationalize the news and inflame the public. Could this be to attract more readers to sell more printed media and attract more viewers to gain more advertising dollars?
Examples are the recent stories of police shooting criminals in the act of committing a crime. The perpetrators are glorified as heroes, with some being proposed for monuments. There’s little or no mention that many of these are multiple-offender criminals committing crimes. Always the fact that the police shot them is stressed, and mostly the only fact reported. I believe that the police are often too resourceful and overly aggressive, but some of these people would not have been shot if they were not in the act of committing or had committed a crime. The people committing the crimes are the bad guys and should be reported as such.
Also, to the boy who is running around complaining about guns, and has loudly stated how frightened he was that he would be shot in the Florida high school massacre: If he wants to do this, he should do this the right way — write to his congressman, write his senator — not leave school. They’re doing this the wrong way, and learning the wrong things.
Ray D’Onofrio, Edgewater
Both sides now
I enjoy reading the editorial page of The News-Journal, first reading the letters to the editor, then the editorial and finally a guest columnist. The selected letters tend to offer a mixed perspective from conservative to liberal, while the editorials have become more centrist in the past five years or so.
I am amused when reading letters that decry the liberal slant of The News-Journal. Are they referring to the editorial page? If so, these readers might be surprised to learn that guest columnists are more often not presenting a conservative perspective on current affairs. They represent views of such conservative organizations as National Review, The Federalist, The American Enterprise Institute, or talk radio. From March 27-April 10, the News Journal featured these conservative columnists: Kathleen Parker, Ramesh Ponnuru, David Harsanyi, Max Boot, Cal Thomas, Hugh Hewitt, Marc Thiessen, Gary Abernathy. Only two left-of-center pundits appeared in these issues of The News-Journal: Leonard Pitts and Elizabeth Breunig. (Interestingly, only two columnists were female.).
As a liberal, I enjoy reading articles with a conservative perspective because they stretch my thinking. They force me to question my beliefs, but can also solidify my views. So, why can’t The News-Journal offer its conservative readers more left-of-center articles to stretch their own thinking and beliefs?
Susan Bayley, Ormond Beach
A true leader
As director of employee relations for a Fortune 100 company (over 60,000 employees), I created and managed a successful workplace violence prevention program. Research indicated that employees and management tended to “tiptoe” around when encountering an employee who was making threats and showing potential for violence, avoiding direct intervention. The motivation was: “Don’t disturb the employee for fear of provoking him/her which might cause a tragic incident.”
Research further indicated, however, that this course only allowed the potential for violence to grow and passed the problem down to others, later faced with a much bigger problem. Conversely, facing problems firmly from a position of strength, skill, and confidence successfully defused and resolved potential for violence.
This critical lesson can be applied to many situations in life, including dangerous international tensions and threats. Case in point: North Korea and Kim Jong Il and currently Kim Jong Un. Arguably, Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama passed that threat down for years by trying to appease and “buy” North Korea’s commitment to terminate its nuclear program. Clearly, after our wasting billion(s) of dollars, North Korea defied agreements, buying time to develop even a more formidable nuclear threat. President Donald Trump and his staff are now confidently standing firm, refusing to be bullied by a madman dictator. Regardless whether your sensibilities might be offended by Trump’s style, thankfully a true leader is finding a way to avoid international violence. (Remember Ronald Reagan with Mikhail Gorbachev?)
Stay tuned — next up, a more equitable balance of trade with China!
Don Albert, Ormond Beach
Voting is a right
In a recent letter, “No right to vote,” the author confidently if erroneously states that the right to vote is not granted by the Constitution of the United States. He’s adamant that “voting is a privilege, not a right.” That’s not what the Constitution, or the law, says.
The right to vote for representatives through “Electors” is expressed as early as Article I, Section 2. If that’s not clear enough, Amendment XV (that’s the 15th), Section 1, states very clearly, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude.” And then there’s Amendment XIX (that’s the 19th) that states, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”
Hearing an erroneous belief about a fundamental right of all citizens is a bit unsettling. Voting is a right! Read the Constitution.
Michael Cocchiola
Palm Coast
Political tangle
Would you be shocked if you heard the FBI raided the home and office of Hillary Clinton’s private attorney and took all computers, phones and electronics and seized all attorney-client documents not already shredded? Of course, that didn’t happen, and Clinton’s attorneys were granted immunity. Then FBI Director James Comey accused Clinton of extreme carelessness rather than gross negligence in her handling of classified material on her personal server, but did not recommend any charges in this matter/investigation.
While the Clinton case is gathering dust, Robert Mueller’s Russia collusion case is gathering momentum.
After Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from the Russia probe, he and Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein recommended firing Comey for his handling of the Clinton emails. Comey leaked White House memos to prompt a special counsel, and Rosenstein quickly appointed Comey mentor Mueller as special counsel and infused his investigation with almost unlimited power, taxpayer dollars and broad parameters.
Despite the lengthy investigation, no credible evidence of any Russian collusion with the Trump campaign has yet been found. The FBI did raid the home, office and hotel room of President Trump’s personal attorney Michael Cohen and seized all his computers, phones, electronics and all privileged attorney-client documents in a stunning move by federal prosecutors. The DOJ and FBI crossed a moral and ethical line that is more about politics than Russian collusion. Is there a two tier justice system in the federal government that exonerates Clinton at all costs and destroys President Trump, no matter the cost?
Russell Bizette, Port Orange
Gun reality
Concerning the April 10 letter, "Get rid of guns":
True, guns are weapons. Their purpose is to kill, or at least deter someone bent on doing harm. But their removal would not cause the homicide rate to drop. Lately in London, where guns are tightly regulated, the murder rate has surpassed New York City's! The weapon most used? Knives. Here in America, I guess the police would naively assume no criminal could be armed if guns were outlawed. I also guess the writer has never seen what a determined killer can do with "just a knife." Ask a Londoner.
Outlawing guns or knives, even repealing the Second Amendment, would have no effect on the criminal community, only on the law-abiding. The writer mentions Prohibition. But it only affected the law-abiding; anyone who really wanted booze could easily get some. The same would happen if guns were outlawed.
And breaking into homes and businesses would "drop significantly"? Did the writer read up on the soaring burglary rate in Australia since its gun ban?
Just as there’s danger a child could get hurt, or hurt someone else with an unsecured gun, there’s also danger from knives, saws and lawn mowers, not to mention cars. Just how much freedom should be sacrificed?
The NRA has 5 million members, 5 percent of the population. How are they responsible for an estimated 300 million guns in Americans’ posession?
The Second Amendment was about preserving the right of individuals to self-defense, especially from their own government.
Ernie Garland, DeLand