Columbus Police Department Visit

Last month, I Am Boundless hosted about a dozen members of the Columbus Police Department (CPD) who were participating in a Community Immersion Field Experience to discuss how they can best serve people with intellectual disabilities. These opportunities are sponsored by the office of Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein. 

The training was led by Boundless staff members Samantha Banks, administrator of center-based services at Boundless and Dr. Jamie Jones, community based behavioral health. In a public facing role, the CPD often encounters people who have disabilities, and often in high stress situations.

Banks said, “There’s the development disorder world, the mental health world, the behavioral health world…it can get complicated because someone can have a bit of everything, and of course there’s always a range for those too.”

Boundless staff members talked through these ranges and provided which questions to ask when answering a high stress call. For example, does the individual have any triggers that law enforcement should know about? Individuals with IDD can have trouble processing orders or directions, which law enforcement may perceive as a threat. Asking the right questions and knowing how law enforcement can adjust their behavior, can help deescalate a tense situation.

Another difficulty the CPD faces during these situations is not knowing which programs or resources to recommend to guardians. At Boundless, we offer an early identification clinic, psych services, family support, licensed home services, outpatient behavioral health, and more that the CPD can keep in their back pocket to recommend.

We were honored to give the CPD some more insight into the world of those we serve and provide some tools to use in the field when encountering these situations. We thank Zack Klein’s office and the CPD officers for being interested in learning about the diverse community members they serve so they can apply it to their work in the field.