One common fear of Parents with a child(ren) on the Spectrum is the “Police.”
By Pearl H. Jacobowitz
The Police who are there to protect your child may turn out to be his or her worst nightmare if they are not educated about autism and does not receive sensitivity training. As the child, diagnosed with autism gets older, they may look much older than they truly are; which could result in tragic experiences. When I did my internship for my Master’s degree in Special Education, my preceptor, Carol, told me that she feared for one of her students, because of his large size, his lack of receptive and expressive communication skills, and his decreased cognitive awareness. My three children were small at the time so I could not quite understand, now that they have grown, I can empathize with her. On July 12, 2012, the temperature must have hit a record 100 degrees, and we had just arrived in Seekonk, MA. from URI in North Kingston, RI. Throughout the trip, the children were arguing and if you ever experienced two children on the spectrum in an argument or confrontation, it is truly an experience. When we reached the Dollar Tree in Seekonk, MA., what might have turned out to be a quick stop at the store turned into a tragedy. As Parents, we attempt to keep peace between siblings and settle disputes as quick as possible. Sometimes, mediation can turn into a power play in which the Parents are giving commands and the child(ren) are defiant and refuse to adhere. The incident got out of hand when our 14 year old son would not get out of the car and take a walk and dad started pulling on him to get him out of the car. It led to our 14 year old throwing objects at his dad that were in the car and dad taking off his belt and striking our son . This was the first time dad has ever allowed himself to be pushed to that extent and with the utmost regrets. No one benefited from the incident, only regretted it. Kenneth Monroe of Warren, RI., observed the confrontation between our 14 year old son and his dad and called the Seekonk, MA. Police Department and reported father was striking his son. When Sargent M. Jardine arrived on the scene, he approached my husband as though he was going to arrest him. Police officer, Jamie R. Benker, # 2212, and Officer Christopher R. Kelly, #1266, approached with the witnesses, Kenneth Monroe of Warren, RI and companion, and said that they received a report of a father beating his son. Our 14 year old son stepped out of our van and was immediately tackled down to the ground from behind by 3 Seekonk Police Officers as if they were at a football game. The Police officers wrestled him into handcuffs, while tazering him at the same time. If you have ever seen a person electrocuted or struck by lightning, you would notice thick white sputum in their mouth; it was asthough our son was foaming from his mouth. Never did the Police ask him any questions or give him any commands. The Police only saw his size and skin color. Due to our son’s past experience of being assaulted by the Police, his PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome) returned at that moment. As he was handcuffed and tazered, I watched him return back to 2008 in Dartmouth, MA., where he was abused by the Dartmouth Police. Each Police officer he saw, he yelled “McGuire.” My son requested that they call officer Tim Oser of the Barrington Police Department in Barringon, RI, who responded by driving to Seekonk, MA. to assist our son. What was odd to me is that the initial report was that a father was striking his son. Then why did they just tackle a 14 year old boy who just stepped out of his van who was reported as being the victim? The Seekonk Police blamed us for not telling them that our son was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. When were we supposed to tell them? As they were tackling him to the ground? The ironic part is that they tackled him to the ground and asked questions after. Sherry, an employee at Family Dollar, stated, “ This is not the first time the Seekonk Police have done this, they beat an autistic boy before and shot a deaf boy who could not hear them.” Sadly, most Police reports will never be written as they actually happened due to Police liability. Police Officer Jamie R. Benker’s report stated, “…[A] large male exited the vehicle yelled “Get away from my dad!” and put both of his hands up in a boxing fighting style. The male who now had his fists balled in a fighting style kicked off one of his sneakers and started to approach officer Kelly with his fists…he was over 200 pounds, nearly 6’00 tall.” Officer Christopher R. Kelly’s report stated, “...[H]e stood in a fighting stance, with his fists up in front of his face…I removed my Department issued ECD from the holster and pointed the red laser dot at the combatant’s chest…Officer Benker took …to the ground in an attempt to diffuse the situation…I then turned my Department issued ECD off and placed it back in the holster.” A report was never taken from the witnesses at the Dollar Tree by the Seekonk Police, because they had a different version of what happened. Many things can be said about this incident, one, is Parents never allow your emotions to get the best of you in situations like this when siblings have confrontations, especially in public. Second, Police need better training on Autism and other special needs and need to be held accountable for their actions. Our son never assumed a boxer’s fighting pose, nor held his fists up in front of his face, nor did he approach any officer with raised fists. Officer Christopher R. Kelly, reports that he removed his ECD (Tazer) from his holster, but he doesn’t state in his report that he ever used it. Witnesses saw the ECD used by officer Kelly and our son had foaming of the mouth after being tazered. We must continue to advocate for more training of Police Officers and other professionals. We must hold officers accountable when they abuse one of our children, whether from malice or ignorance. Most certainly, Parents are held accountable to the Department of Children, Youth, and Families and scrutinized for their parenting skills, so should Police Officers.
