About three out of every 100 people in the United States have some form of developmental disability. Consequently, it stands to reason that it is likely a patrol officer will encounter a person with a developmental disability during their patrol activities. For a York County deputy, it is even more likely because we have several group homes for developmentally disabled adults interspersed in the communities we patrol.

Rural York County is an ideal setting for a group home, where residents are afforded an opportunity to live with dignity and a feeling of self-reliance. Our patrol area provides residents with a quiet and safe outside environment with few distractions where they may go about their established routines. Developmental disabilities are often confused with mental illness. A developmentally disabled person has below-average intellectual functioning and abilities to learn and process information, while a mentally ill person experiences disturbances in thought processes, emotions and behaviors.

Many developmentally disabled adults require the structure of a group, as they need assistance with life skills ”“ those skills most of us take for granted. Some have difficulty giving accurate directions, making change, using the telephone or telephone book, telling time, reading and writing, and/or answering questions quickly and clearly.

What is a developmental disability?

Developmental disabilities generally occur before a person reaches adulthood, so many have lived a lifetime with their disability and have learned to assimilate into society. There is no sure sign that a person has developmental disabilities, but there are traits that may indicate some level of disability.

A developmentally disabled adult may have difficulty communicating because of limited vocabulary, speech impairment or a short attention span. They may also have difficulty understanding or answering questions.

Group Homes

Many developmentally disabled adults are best suited in a group home environment with supervision because some act inappropriately with peers or with the opposite sex. When in an informal group, they may be easily influenced and eager to please others, even if the behavior is not productive or appropriate.

Most home care workers will tell you that many developmentally disabled adults become frustrated and defiant. As a last resort, the home worker will seek assistance from the sheriff’s office.

Police Response

A couple of weeks ago, Deputy Scott Hendrick was nearing the end of his night shift when he got a call for an “EDP” (Emotionally Disturbed Person), who was “out of control.” In the interest of expediency, the dispatchers, by necessity, describe any individual suffering from some mental event as an EDP. These calls are difficult to triage for the dispatcher, and more so for the deputy responding.

Deputy Scott Hendrick, a 16-year veteran to law enforcement (six years with York County), realized he had arrived at a group home for developmentally disabled adults and reacted accordingly; Hendrick has been to similar calls in the past. Other deputies have explained that in previous responses to these calls, some residents act overwhelmed by police presence, become agitated at being detained, and/or try to run away. They may have difficulty describing what is wrong or what is upsetting to them.

Hendrick’s Call

It seems that the man had assaulted another resident and was also assaultive to staff the previous evening. The man seemed to carry his aggression into the morning, and the group home staff members were unable to control him. Hendrick and another deputy were assigned the call.

When Hendrick arrived, the client had settled down. However, the uniformed presence or the crackling of the police radio may have set him off, and without provocation, he became assaultive and tried to slap the deputy.

Hendrick was able to control the man, restraining him with a bear hug, not wanting to injure the distraught man, and awaited his back up.

Sgt. David Chauvette responded to the home to assist. The two deputies were able to calm the man down and convinced him to voluntarily go to the hospital. Chauvette rode in the ambulance to continue de-escalating the situation during the ride.

The York County Sheriff’s Office is keenly aware that our deputies have a better-than-average chance of encountering a person in a mental or emotional crisis. Consequently, 70 percent of our deputies undergo Crisis Intervention Training. The CIT program teaches de-escalation techniques and encourages first responders to speak slowly and clearly, directly to the adult using short, simple language. The CIT program is operated by the Maine National Alliance for Mental Illness and has resulted in a decrease in arrest rates for the disabled and mentally ill.

We have four more deputies scheduled for CIT training in May, and we anticipate the remaining deputies will be trained next year.

Even though Hendrick is one of the few deputies who have yet to undergo CIT, as an emergency medical technician, he has vast experience dealing with distraught people who are often “out of control.” That morning, his calm, firm persistence calmed the situation enough to allow the man to be transported to the hospital for an evaluation.

Routine incidents like these that are handled expeditiously solidify my belief that we have some outstanding deputies.

— William L. King Jr. is chief deputy of the York County Sheriff’s Department.