§30-29-5a. Criminal justice training regarding individuals with autism spectrum disorders; Alzheimer's and dementia.

(a) The Law-Enforcement Professional Standards Subcommittee shall establish within the basic training curriculum, a course for law-enforcement training programs for the training of law-enforcement officers and correction officers in appropriate interactions with individuals with autism spectrum disorders, Alzheimer's, and related dementias and shall develop guidelines for law enforcement response to individuals on the autism spectrum, individuals with Alzheimer's, or individuals with related dementias who are victims or witnesses to a crime, or suspected or convicted of a crime.

(b) The course of instruction and the guidelines relating to autism spectrum disorders shall be developed and delivered by the West Virginia Autism Training Center, located at Marshall University. This course of instruction may stress positive responses to these individuals; provide for the de-escalation of potentially dangerous situations; provide an understanding of the different way these individuals process sensory stimuli and language, social communication, and language difficulties likely to affect interaction; and appropriate methods of interrogation. Training instructors shall always include adults with autism spectrum disorders and/or a parent or primary caretaker of an individual diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

(c) The training course of instruction relating to Alzheimer's and dementia shall be two hours long and based on evidence-informed research into the identification of persons with Alzheimer's and other dementias, risks such as wandering or elder abuse, and the best practices for law-enforcement officers interacting with such persons. The training course of instruction may be delivered by any qualified entity, organization, or person approved by the Law-Enforcement Professional Standards Subcommittee.

(d) As used in this section:

(1) "Agency" means the ability to make independent decisions and act in one's own best interests;

(2) "Alzheimer's" means a medical condition diagnosis of the most common type of dementia which is a gradually progressive type of brain disorder that causes problems with memory, thinking, and behavior;

(3) "Autism spectrum disorder" means a developmental disability characterized by persistent and significant deficits in social communication, social interaction, communication, and behavior, and may include the diagnosis of pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified, autistic disorder, and Asperger's Syndrome as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association;

(4) "Law-enforcement officer" means any officer of any West Virginia law-enforcement agency, or any state institution of higher education as defined in §30-29-1(6) of this code;

(5) “Related dementias" means a major neurocognitive disorder resulting in the loss of cognitive functioning, thinking, remembering, and reasoning to such an extent that it interferes with a person's daily life and activities, including, but not limited to, inability to control emotions and changes of personality; and

(6) "Training instructors" means professional experts, autistic adults, and/or the family member or primary caregiver of an autistic individual who deliver instruction and information.

(e) The autism spectrum disorder course of basic training for law-enforcement officers and correction officers may include at least three hours of instruction in the procedures and techniques described in this subsection:

(1) The nature and manifestation of autism spectrum disorders;

(2) Appropriate techniques for interviewing or interrogating an individual on the autism spectrum, including techniques to ensure the legality of statements made, and techniques to protect the rights of the individual;

(3) Techniques for locating an individual on the autism spectrum who runs away and is in danger, and returning the individual while causing as little stress as possible to the individual;

(4) Techniques for recognizing an autistic individual's agency while identifying potential abusive or coercive situations;

(5) Techniques for de-escalating a potentially dangerous situation to maximize the safety of both the law-enforcement officer or correction officer and the autistic individual;

(6) Techniques for differentiating between an individual on the autism spectrum from an individual who is belligerent, uncooperative, or otherwise displaying traits similar to the characteristics of an autistic individual;

(7) Procedures to identify and address challenges related to the safety and wellbeing of autistic individuals in a correctional facility; and

(8) The impact of interaction with law-enforcement officers or correction officers on autistic individuals.

(f) The Alzheimer's and related dementias course of basic training for law-enforcement officers and correction officers may include at least two hours of instruction in the procedures and techniques described in this subsection:

(1) Dementia, psychiatric, and behavioral symptoms;

(2) Communication issues, including how to communicate respectfully and effectively with the individual who has dementia in order to determine the most appropriate response and effective communication techniques to enhance collaboration with caregivers;

(3) Techniques for understanding and approaching behavioral symptoms and identifying alternatives to physical restraints;

(4) Identifying and reporting incidents of abuse, neglect, and exploitation to Adult Protective Services (APS) at West Virginia Department of Health and Human Services;

(5) Techniques for de-escalating a potentially dangerous situation to maximize the safety of both the law-enforcement officer or correction officer and the individual with Alzheimer's or related dementias;

(6) Protocols for contacting caregivers when a person with dementia is found wandering or during emergency or crisis situations;

(7) Local caregiving resources that are available for people living with dementia; and

(8) The impact of interaction with law-enforcement officers or correction officers on Alzheimer's and dementia individuals.

(g) All law-enforcement recruits may receive the course of basic training for law-enforcement officers, established in this section, as part of their required certification process. The course of basic training for law-enforcement officers may be taught as part of the "crisis intervention and conflict resolution" and "people with special needs" components of the training.

(h) All correction officer recruits may receive the course of basic training for correction officers, established in this section, as part of their required certification process.

(i) All current law-enforcement officers shall receive the course of basic training for law-enforcement officers, established in this section, as part of their mandated in-service training requirement every three years.

(j) The Commissioner of the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation periodically may include within the in-service training curriculum a course of instruction on individuals with autism spectrum disorder, Alzheimer's, and related dementias, consistent with this section.

(k) The Law-Enforcement Professional Standards Subcommittee periodically may include within its in-service training curriculum, a course of instruction on individuals with autism spectrum disorder, Alzheimer's, and related dementias, consistent with this section.