TSC Talks Guests Chief Snyder & Officer Kraus

TSC Talks Guests Chief Snyder and Officer Kraus, New Paltz NY Police Department

tsc talks

The topic of Autism & Police is often a hot one. So when a colleague shared a recent article on the New Paltz PD “Occupant with Autism” sticker campaign, I was determined to see if I could get someone from the department on TSC Talks to discuss this issue. I’d also posed some questions to the TSC community related to their experiences with law enforcement, to gain a better understanding of the range of experiences particularly since TSC (https://tsalliance.org) related behaviors (TAND) can escalate to the point where law enforcement is needed. The response was overwhelming, and a range of both positive and frustrating incidents was shared. So, I was thrilled when Chief Snyder & Officer Kraus agreed to act as “conversation starters” and participate in opening this dialogue, in what we hope will be the starting point for spreading the word on the importance of this initiative, the potential outcomes and the simplicity of implementing for other police departments and first responders.

Chief Joseph Snyder & Officer Philipp Kraus of the New Paltz, NY Police Department discuss their background and experiences with community members that sparked the idea behind their new “Occupant with Autism” sticker. This sticker is a combination of police support & Autism Awareness and can be placed on a car or near the door of a home as a heads up for police that an individual within may be functioning differently. We also discuss feedback they’ve received thus far on this sticker within their community, both positive and negative, & potentially expanding outreach to other police departments.

Officer Kraus also discusses his involvement in regional and departmental training on mental health issues, de-escalation & evaluation; providing access to resources instead of arresting and how this program could be expanded to include more autism awareness training. Both officers are open to feedback from their local community on the role of law enforcement when encountering those on the autism spectrum and hope that expanding awareness through this Autism Occupant Sticker Campaign leads to broader understanding and acceptance of the diversity within their own community and contributes to increased safety and security for all.

For more information, visit their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/NewPaltzPolice/
Website: http://www.townofnewpaltz.org/police
Check out these recent articles: https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/hudson-valley/public-safety/2019/05/29/new-paltz-autism-sticker
https://1450wkip.iheart.com/content/2019-05-30-new-paltz-police-stickers-may-help-those-with-autism/

Information from Autism
Speaks:
https://www.autismspeaks.org/emergency-medical-services-ems

You can find all of our podcasts here: https://tsctalks.com/podcast/

Thank you, Chief Snyder and Officer Kraus for talking to us about this very important topic. Thank you to all of our 50+TSC Talks guests! If you have a topic you think would make a good podcast or would like to be a guest on TSC Talks please contact us at admin@tsctalks.com

If you find value in this website and/or from TSC Talks-The Podcast, please consider a donation. We have lots of ideas and hope to make this a site that brings support and resources to parent caregivers.