Alabama law enforcement officers are getting extra training due to a new State law. The Cade Noah Act went into effect this month. It requires lawmen to be instructed on how to interact with people who have sensory needs. Doctor Darrin Griffin teaches at the University of Alabama. He’s worked with police on how to work with people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Griffin says this type of training means more than just better communication…
“The information that law enforcement are gathering and exchanging in their day to day job, can is dramatic as it sounds, determine whether someone lives or dies, whether they can help someone who's in harm, whether they can find someone who is a bad person,” he said.
Griffin has dealt with local and State law officers in Alabama, and even trained personnel with the FBI. He says one thing people in law enforcement work to retain, even as they’re trained to be better communicators, is what’s known as “command presence.” This enables them to take control of a criminal situation with authority. Still, Griffin says the lawmen he’s worked with embrace training to better interact with people with sensory needs.
“So the short answer is law enforcement, they really see the value in the gold in understanding verbal and nonverbal communication. And so when they're my audience, and we're talking about this stuff, it's like I'm giving them the keys to some castle,”
The New Year means a collection of new state laws took effect in Alabama, and elsewhere. Workers’ overtime pay will be exempt from the state's income tax. That will only last until June of next year unless State lawmakers renew it. Also, boating violations will now be classified as a criminal offense. Proponents say tougher enforcement could lead to fewer injuries on the State’s waterways. The Cade Noah Act is named for the son of a State lawmaker who is autistic.
