A new program in Miami-Dade County aims to save lives through a simple decal. The initiative will alert first responders to potential interactions with residents living with autism.
Approved last week by the Miami Dade County Commission, the decal is meant to be placed at the front door of a home or a car window to notify police officers and firefighters of a potential interaction with a resident living with autism.
The decal reads, “Occupant with autism, may not respond to verbal commands.”
Dr. Diane Adreon with the University of Miami’s Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) says the decals can aid in the training of law enforcement officers.
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“There’s so many nuances that people could really not know how to react, and they could take their behaviors the wrong way,” said Dr. Adreon. “It gives people with autism or family members an opportunity to safely disclose the disability in a circumstance where they may be interacting with law enforcement.”
When it launches in April, Miami-Dade residents will be able to pick up the free decal from their local Miami-Dade Police station.
District 7 Commissioner Raquel Regalado says there are plans for the county to partner with agencies in other municipalities, to expand the program. She also believes this program will free up county resources.
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“We have a lot of autistic people that are unnecessarily either arrested or Baker Acted when in fact de-escalation would have been the solution,” said Commissioner Regalado. “There’s an entire community where parents worry about this when their kids leave the sight of their caregivers.”
North Miami launched a similar decal and autism outreach program in 2022 following the 2016 incident when a man with autism was shot at by a police officer after the toy truck he was holding was mistaken for a gun.
Like Miami Dade’s, the program includes training with first responders to help them communicate with an individual during a moment of crisis.
North Miami Police Commander Rocio Torres says the program is so popular, that they’ve had to turn away non-residents who’ve asked to enroll.
“I think that officers, going in already knowing what to expect really helps make those interactions more positive,” said Commander Torres. “I’m really happy that the county has finally jumped in because we do have a lot of people wanting to be part of the program and we have to turn them down because we’re a small municipality, so can only have people in North Miami that can enroll.”
Miami Dade’s outreach program is expected to launch April 2024.
