In 1994 Dennis Debbaudt’s book, Avoiding Unfortunate Situations became the first to address the interactions between law enforcement professionals and people with autism. Since then he has become known as the world’s leading

authority on the development of curriculum training tools and techniques for law enforcement professionals. With over ten years of experience presenting autism related law enforcement training sessions, Debbaudt's training materials are in use by law enforcement agencies in the U.S., Canada and United Kingdom.

U. S. Department of Homeland Security hosts Autism Training Sessions at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC)

Dennis Debbaudt trained instructors from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DOH) at FLETC in Glynco, Georgia. Approximately 35 DOH instructors were in attendance including upper level administrators. The feedback was excellent and there were many fine questions during Q & A. FLETC acquired the new Autism & Law Enforcement video, the book Autism, Advocates and Law Enforcement Professionals and handouts for use at future FLETC training sessions.

FLETC trains over 40 federal agencies including the Secret Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The reviews will be online soon at http://www.fbi.gov/publications/leb/leb.htm

Here are excerpts:

"The video Autism and Law Enforcement provides a quick and engaging education in autism that can help increase safety for both officers and individuals with autism, as well as minimize the potential for litigation that could occur as a result of a misunderstanding. Interviews and vignettes involving people with autism concretely convey the reality of how challenging they can be to interact with and how vulnerable to crime and exploitation they are.....After viewing this video, officers will be better equipped to consider autism when assessing behavior during personal encounters."

"My review of Autism and Law Enforcement, a 21-minute video, not only enlightened me as a police chief but made me immediately recognize it as a valuable resource for all law enforcement officers. The producer, a law enforcement veteran and father of a son with autism, maintains viewer interest by providing clear concise bullet points about the nature of the disability; how officers should approach an individual with autism; and what to expect as a response from an officer's field interview....Autism and Law Enforcement is an excellent tool that can raise awareness to promote successful encounters with people who have autism. The complexities in the mission of today's street officer demand an astute response to the differing needs of citizens. This training video helps accomplish that goal."