Dr. Allen Copenhaver Participates in Autism & Policing Panel at DOCJT with Son
Dr. Allen Copenhaver and his son, Brees.
Last month Dr. Allen Copenhaver and his son, Brees Copenhaver, spoke to roughly 75 law enforcement officers at Kentucky’s Department of Criminal Justice Training (DOCJT) to raise autism awareness. As part of DOCJT’s “Horizons in Policing” class, Dr. Copenhaver and Brees (who is on the autism spectrum) spoke to roughly 75 police officers from across the state as part of a panel of autistic persons and their caregivers. The panel was led by Heidi Cooley-Cook from the University of Louisville Autism Training Center, which provides autism training to law enforcement officers and other first responders across the state of Kentucky. The purpose of such training is to increase first responder awareness about what Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is and to help officers learn best practices for interacting with persons on the autism spectrum. The training has a heavy emphasis on deescalating potentially volatile situations. The panel was unique because it provided an opportunity for law enforcement officers to meet someone face-to-face who is on the spectrum.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), autism affects roughly one in 36 children. Autism is a developmental disorder that affects how people communicate and interact with their environment. Autistic people may also be affected by sensory processing complications, along with many other physical and mental health issues. Autism is an interest to some criminal justice researchers because law enforcement officers need to understand that autistic persons may have communication delays which may make it difficult to interact with law enforcement. Persons affected by ASD may not be able to speak, may not understand the commands of officers, or may be perceived by officers as refusing to comply.
Dr. Copenhaver and his son, Brees, speak to a group of officers at DOCJT.
Ultimately, members of the autism community want police officers trained so that officers will not use unjustified force against someone with ASD and will know what to do if an autistic person wanders away from a caregiver. Many cases involving persons with ASD and law enforcement come as a result of someone running away from a caregiver, often because they are upset or overstimulated. Training helps law enforcement know what to do in such situations.
Dr. Copenhaver is an Assistant Professor in the School of Justice Studies and has worked to train officers on autism at both DOCJT and the Kentucky State Police Academy. He has worked with Mrs. Cooley-Cook to add to the training she already developed as part of her work with the Autism Training Center. Dr. Copenhaver has published multiple studies on autism and policing and his work has appeared in the American Journal of Criminal Justice and Policing: An International Journal and has been presented at national conferences. Last year Dr. Copenhaver and his co-researcher, Dr. Andrew S. Denney of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, were invited to present their work at Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as part of their “Drexel Policing and Autism Seminar”.
Brees Copenhaver is 12 years old and in the sixth grade. He was diagnosed with autism when he was only 26 months old, which is relatively early for such a diagnosis. At the time of his diagnosis, he had a vocabulary of roughly 15 words. Through much therapy, intervention, and love, he now regularly makes his school’s honor roll and last year was a member of his school’s beta club. He loves baseball, football, tennis, and video games. He enjoys attending autism trainings with his dad because, in his words, “it’s important to help police officers learn about autism”.
Published 9/3/2024