The Wichita Police Department and the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office have announced a new partnership with Heartspring and other agencies to develop an Autism Awareness program.
The program will provide education and resources to law enforcement officers who encounter people with autism in the field. It will also provide resources for citizens to get information to law enforcement to help officers respond in a more informed manner.
The program was proposed by Wichita police officer John Biagini, who works in the Exploited and Missing Child Unit. He has developed a sensory kit that will be placed in patrol vehicles, and the kits can be used by responders in an emergency to provide comfort to children and citizens with autism.
This is an opt-in program and citizens can fill out a form that identifies them or a family member as someone with autism. They will be provided with stickers for their home and vehicles that officers and responders can see when they conduct a traffic stop or arrive at an emergency situation.
The police department and the sheriff’s office are working with the Wichita Police and Fire Foundation, Sedgwick County Emergency Communications, Heartspring and Scheels to develop the program, and the Wichita Parks Department will create communication boards for display at local parks. The program will be fully operational later this fall and the sensory kits will be assembled and distributed later this month.
