At a time of increased and enhanced law enforcement presence nationwide and with recent news of an autistic adult fatally shot by police during a mental health crisis, a California-based team is making a difference with a preventive toolkit for people with autism.

“Interacting safely with law enforcement” is the latest toolkit, among the first of its kind, published by Kipekee, a nonprofit supporting autistic adults with resources and a community.

“I interact a lot with folks on the spectrum. I myself, I’m on the spectrum,” Jacob Nyamu, credit analyst and Kipekee founder, said. “I’ve never been pulled over, but when I drive, I always get tense when I see a cop car behind me. I’m pretty sure that it’s pretty much for everybody, but I was always concerned for folks on the spectrum … so I just wanted to do something about that.”

The resource addresses what individuals with autism and their families can do to prepare in case of a mental health crisis and how to communicate with police to avoid complications. Pulling from research conducted by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), the resource guide was put together in remembrance of black and brown teens with autism killed by law enforcement.

“In this larger conversation about mental health and police officers being able to deal with mental health calls, that’s kind of what came to my mind when Jacob brought up this idea: this is a huge rights issue for policing,” Jaleel Baker, law student at UC Davis and Kipekee team member, said. “Are they capable of handling mental health calls? Dealing and recognizing and understanding how to treat people who are on the spectrum?”

The guide’s main focus is de-escalation and prevention. Keeping calm and asking things like “Would it help if you had a moment alone?” or “Is there anything I can do to help you right now?” are the first de-escalation tactics listed. Reaching out to mental health providers or a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) is also listed as a preventive option.

Similar to other states, in Michigan, the crisis helpline is available 24/7 by call or text at 988 or online at Lifeline Chat. Oakland, Wayne and other counties also have Health Networks that provide resources for neurodiverse and neurotypical individuals.

Informing officers and first responders about the disabilities of people involved is also a key aspect of the guide, helping inform everyone as they approach the situation. Smartphone automations, a Kipekee safety card and a medical emergency wristband are also encouraged resources in the guide.

“Putting a card specifically or a wristband together was one tangible things that we felt, you know, made it a holistic toolkit,” Baker said. “We just hope that they have a large deterrent effect and can reduce police brutality.”

Echoing tactics used to maintain other law enforcement agencies accountable and inform change, the guide also has notes on how to identify officers and record interactions with police to keep accurate records of events.

“All neurodiverse people want from neurotypical people is just understanding,” Nyamu said. “We’re not requiring much. Just understanding and acceptance.”

Baker recognized the advances in integrating additional mental health crisis professionals to police forces and collaborations with other CITs in California, but was still critical of the institutional complexities of law enforcement responding to mental health crises.

“I don’t think the answer, necessarily, is that police get more training in this; there are folks already that have so much experience, but there’s a resource gap when it comes to crisis intervention teams,” Baker said. “There are local law enforcement agencies that will maybe deny mental health calls at this point because they want to divert that issue and those calls to crisis intervention teams but they’re still not being staffed and funded in the way that they should to adequately address the issue.”

Adding to their bi-weekly support group sessions, Kipekee will host an online workshop on March 22 to go over people’s rights and install safety automations to further the prevention tactics outlined on the toolkit.