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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3034 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2686
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
_________________
PRESENTED BY:
David M. Rogers
_________________
To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act relative to police interactions with persons on the autism spectrum.
_______________
PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:David M. Rogers24th Middlesex1/16/2025James Arciero2nd Middlesex2/21/2025Christine P. Barber34th Middlesex2/18/2025Michael D. BradySecond Plymouth and Norfolk2/27/2025Manny Cruz7th Essex2/27/2025James B. EldridgeMiddlesex and Worcester2/27/2025William C. Galvin6th Norfolk2/25/2025Colleen M. Garry36th Middlesex2/10/2025James K. Hawkins2nd Bristol2/11/2025Christopher Hendricks11th Bristol2/10/2025Natalie M. Higgins4th Worcester2/8/2025Vanna Howard17th Middlesex1/21/2025Hannah Kane11th Worcester2/7/2025David Paul Linsky5th Middlesex2/10/2025John J. Marsi6th Worcester2/13/2025Thomas M. Stanley9th Middlesex3/4/2025Steven Ultrino33rd Middlesex3/6/2025Erika Uyterhoeven27th Middlesex2/19/2025 2 of 2
Marcus S. Vaughn9th Norfolk2/26/2025Susannah M. Whipps2nd Franklin2/7/2025 1 of 4
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3034 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2686
By Representative Rogers of Cambridge, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2686) of
David M. Rogers and others relative to police training in appropriate interactions with persons on
the autism spectrum and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. Public Safety and
Homeland Security.
[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 2351 OF 2023-2024.]
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
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An Act relative to police interactions with persons on the autism spectrum.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 Chapter 6 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 116I the
2following section:-
3 Section 116I ½. (a) For the purposes of this section, the following words shall, unless the
4context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:-
5 “Agency”, the ability to make independent decisions and act in one’s own best interests.
6 “Autism spectrum”, a disorder or disability on the autism spectrum, including but not
7limited to: autistic disorder, Asperger's disorder, pervasive developmental disorder - not
8otherwise specified, childhood disintegrative disorder, nonverbal learning disorder or Rhett's 2 of 4
9Syndrome, as defined in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the
10American Psychiatric Association.
11 “Correction officer”, any officer employed by a correctional facility who is tasked with
12the custody, care or transport of incarcerated or detained persons.
13 “Correctional facility”, as defined in section 1 of chapter 125.
14 “Intellectual and developmental disabilities”, an intellectual or developmental disability,
15as defined in the most recent edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American
16Psychiatric Association.
17 “Law enforcement agency”, (i) a state, county, municipal or district law enforcement
18agency, including, but not limited to: a city, town or district police department, the office of
19environmental law enforcement, the University of Massachusetts police department, the
20department of the state police, the Massachusetts Port Authority police department, also known
21as the Port of Boston Authority police department, and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation
22Authority police department; (ii) a sheriff’s department in its performance of police duties and
23functions; or (iii) a public or private college, university or other educational institution or
24hospital police department.
25 “Law enforcement officer” or “officer”, any officer of an agency, including the head of
26the agency; a special state police officer appointed pursuant to section 58 or section 63 of chapter
2722C; a special sheriff appointed pursuant to section 4 of chapter 37 performing police duties and
28functions; a deputy sheriff appointed pursuant to section 3 of said chapter 37 performing police
29duties and functions; a constable executing an arrest for any reason; or any other special, reserve
30or intermittent police officer. 3 of 4
31 (b) The municipal police training committee shall establish an in-service training
32curriculum on or before January 1, 2024 for the training of law enforcement officers and
33correction officers in appropriate interactions with persons on the autism spectrum and persons
34with other intellectual and developmental disabilities; provided, that this training shall not
35increase the currently required hours of in-service training. The municipal police training
36committee shall develop guidelines for law enforcement response to persons on the autism
37spectrum and persons with other intellectual and developmental disabilities who are victims or
38witnesses to a crime, or suspected or convicted of a crime. The course of instruction and the
39guidelines shall emphasize: (1) positive responses to persons on the autism spectrum and persons
40with other intellectual and developmental disabilities, (2) de-escalating potentially dangerous
41situations, (3) understanding of the different manner by which persons on the autism spectrum
42and persons with other intellectual and developmental disabilities process sensory stimuli and
43language and (4) appropriate methods of interrogation. The training shall address the best
44practices for interactions with the broad range of persons on the autism spectrum and persons
45with other intellectual and developmental disabilities, including those with intersecting
46marginalized identities.
47 The training presenters shall include presentations from adults on the autism spectrum.
48Where appropriate, the training presenters shall also include experts on autism spectrum
49disorders who also have expertise in the law enforcement or correction field.
50 (c) The in-service training for law enforcement officers and correction officers shall
51include not less than 2 hours of instruction in the procedures and techniques described below: 4 of 4
52 (1) The nature and manifestations of autism spectrum disorders and other intellectual and
53developmental disabilities.
54 (2) Appropriate techniques for interviewing or interrogating persons on the autism
55spectrum and persons with other intellectual and developmental disabilities, including techniques
56to ensure legality of statements made, and techniques to protect the rights of the interviewee.
57 (3) Techniques for locating persons on the autism spectrum and persons with other
58intellectual and developmental disabilities who runs away and are in danger, and returning the
59person while causing as little stress as possible to the person.
60 (4) The legal duties imposed on police officers to offer protection and assistance,
61including guidelines for making felony and misdemeanor arrests, and appropriate techniques for
62arrest and restraint of persons on the autism spectrum and persons with other intellectual and
63developmental disabilities.
64 (5) Techniques for de-escalating a potentially dangerous situation to maximize the safety
65of both: (i) law enforcement officers or correction officers and (ii) persons on the autism
66spectrum and persons with other intellectual and developmental disabilities.
67 (6) Techniques for differentiating between persons on the autism spectrum and persons
68with other intellectual and developmental disabilities from a person who is belligerent,
69uncooperative or otherwise displaying traits similar to the characteristics of a person on the
70autism spectrum and persons with other intellectual and developmental disabilities.
71 (7) Procedures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of persons on the autism spectrum and
72persons with other intellectual and developmental disabilities in a correctional facility.