Police will receive additional training in dealing with people with developmental disabilities, including autism beginning in 2008 because of a change in the curriculum offered at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.

The change was made due to a bill sponsored by Sen. Phil Bartlett, D-Gorham, which would have required all police and prosecutors to receive the additional training.

“The purpose of this bill was to ensure that law enforcement personnel received the training they need to effectively deal with this population,” Bartlett said. “I am grateful that the administration has adopted this viewpoint and agreed to take the necessary steps without requiring a legislative mandate.”

Scarborough resident Denise Kring urged Bartlett to introduce legislation after her daughter Barbara, who suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome, was stabbed outside of the library last March.

Kring feels, if police had been properly trained in handling people with developmental disabilities, they might not have drawn the initial conclusion that they did. Police initially believed her daughter had been involved in a suicide pact.

In an interview last month, Kring said her daughter called 911 after the stabbing and reported it to authorities in a monotone voice, which she believes police misunderstood.

When emergency personnel arrived at the scene, Barbara Kring did not understand the seriousness of the situation or even that she was injured and did not request help for herself. Emergency personnel asked her many questions at the scene, which is not the best way to deal with someone with developmental disabilities in a chaotic situation, said Denise Kring.

Lyndsey McLaughlin, the 15-year-old girl who stabbed Kring, was found not criminally responsible in court last month because she was delusional and will face no punishment for the incident because the law does not require any.

Bartlett’s bill is being reviewed by the Criminal Justice Committee, which received several positive comments about the legislation during a public hearing last month.

Bartlett believes this response was one reason the Maine Criminal Justice Academy agreed to start offering the training as part of its regular curriculum to both new and current officers.

“We felt it was something that had to be provided to officers, both in the field and new cadets,” Bartlett said. “Essentially, we got most of what we wanted without needing to go through the legislative process.”

The major aspect of Bartlett’s bill that did not make it through was requiring the same training for prosecutors. However, Bartlett is hopeful that the bill has increased awareness of the issue and some prosecutors will take advantage of the additional training on their own.