This report, based on an expert panel convened by RAND and the Police Executive Research Forum on behalf of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), explored law enforcement response to persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities and identification of high-priority needs to improve law enforcement strategies.
RAND and the Police Executive Research Forum, on behalf of the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), organized a workshop of subject-matter experts, including police practitioners, researchers, individuals with lived experience, and community stakeholders, to discuss the current law enforcement response to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) and identify research and policy needs to support efforts to address expert-identified problems and opportunities. Through a series of interviews and group discussions, the workshop participants identified 23 high-priority needs, six of which they categorized as highest priority. These needs address issues related to (1) understanding law enforcement's involvement with persons with IDDs, (2) improving IDD training and resources for law enforcement, and (3) establishing partnerships and avenues of dissemination for improving the law enforcement response. IDDs are lifelong conditions that are usually present at birth or by the age of 18. IDDs can affect an individual's physical, intellectual, and emotional development. Individuals with IDDs are overrepresented in the justice system for myriad reasons, and studies have found that IDD-related challenges can make interactions with police officers difficult. Police are trained to recognize and respond to a wide variety of situations in which individuals are acting atypically, but many IDDs are hidden or not immediately recognizable by physical characteristics and can be mistaken as the effects of drugs or other substance use. Although police need not diagnose specific IDDs, it is critical that they can recognize when IDDs present in a crisis situation and know how to respond appropriately. The needs identified by the expert panel underscore two overarching themes: (1) the significance of partnerships and (2) the importance of information dissemination. Law enforcement professionals frequently lack information about available community resources when responding to IDD-related calls or encountering persons with IDDs in the community.
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