Wrentham Police to Host Autism Training for Officers

The Wrentham Police Department will be hosting a training session for officers on autism disorders.

The first of the sessions, which are sponsored by the Family Autism Center, will take place on Thursday.

Police Chief James Anderson said in a statement that he is proud to host the session.

"As a society, we’ve come a long way to educate ourselves and our own children about people who live with a variety of so-called disabilities or disorders," he said. "As police officers, we frequently respond to calls on a moments notice, interacting with adults and children, sometimes not realizing they have a disability or disorder, or worse, mistaking their behavior as anti-social or resistant."

Anderson said the training will hopefully help officers avoid misunderstandings with those who have the condition.

The training will be taught by Lt. Martin Baker, a Norwood police officer and a founding member of tha Autism and Law Enforcement Education Coalition (ALEC).

Two sessions will be held — one on Thursday, April 12 and one on Monday, April 23.