CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Police Department (CPD), Cleveland Cavaliers and KultureCity have partnered to equip officers with training and tools to better interact with people with sensory needs, including those with autism, PTSD and dementia.
Friday, KultureCity announced that CPD is the first in Ohio to achieve its Sensory Inclusive First Responder certification.
“I'm extremely proud of everything we do at KultureCity, but honestly our partnerships with police departments… with first responders are by far the most impactful,” said KultureCity Board Member Kelly Aucoin. “These are people who constantly face situations where they have to make split second decisions that can mean the difference between life and death.”
Amy Belles and her son, Carson, live in Akron. They attended Friday’s news conference at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Carson, who is 19, loves attending sporting games and the beach.
He has autism and is non-speaking. A speech app on an iPhone helps him communicate.
“His safety is my top priority,” Amy said. "He’s not a child anymore and things that might have looked cute or simple before with his behavior- now he's bigger and stronger and they're more challenging.”
She worries about his safety if he ever comes into contact with a police officer, and they perhaps don’t understand unusual speech or gestures like pacing or hand clapping.
Cleveland Police Chief Dorothy Todd said officers undergo extensive training in numerous areas, and KultureCity was an additional opportunity to strengthen their skills and understanding.
“This brought a different perspective to each of our members which also includes having the equipment and the tools out there for our members to have a proactive stance,” Todd said.
Every officer underwent a half-day training and was tested on what they learned. The Cleveland Cavaliers, the first sports team to partner with KultureCity for training many years ago, covered the $18,000 training costs.
“This training is going to help our officers be able to deescalate situations better,” said Lt. Justin Cajka, who’s been with CPD for 11 years.
KultureCity is also providing sensory kits with various items, including noise-reducing headphones, fidget tools and visual cue cars that help communicate how someone’s feeling.
"They (officers) are going to be able to utilize those tools within those bags to really help bring down the situation, slow down the situation, de-escalate the situation to get that citizen the help that they need," Cajak said.
Cajak already uses the tools on a personal level. His 5-year-old son has autism.
"We use these on a daily basis in my home, and you know this is just how important neurodiversity is currently in sensory inclusion,” Cajak said.
KulureCity has also trained with organizations, including Cleveland MetroParks Zoo, Akron Zoo, and the Cleveland Guardians, in addition to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Those organizations’ facilities are sensory-inclusive and have sensory rooms to help soothe those needing a break from overstimulation.
“What we're doing is the extension of our commitment to inclusion (and) our commitment to this community,” said Kevin Clayton, Head of Social Impact and Equity for the Cleveland Cavaliers. “Knowing that we can bridge the gap where people could have different abilities have an opportunity to also just be recognized as human being without any stigma."
Clayton’s 5-year-old grandson has autism.
Amy wants other law enforcement agencies to undergo KultureCity’s training. She said it’s all about officer safety and the public’s safety. And mom and son said they're looking forward to tackling the rest of summer.
“He likes to be in the community which is why this is so important. If we need help and support, we know now we have that," Amy said.
