Boulder Police Unveil New Autism Decal Program

BOULDER, Colo. – The Boulder Police Department is proud to announce a first of its kind program in Colorado that’s aimed at building better relationships with members of our Autism community.

The Boulder Police Department Autism Decal Program has the goal of alerting officers that someone who has one of the decals seen here on their vehicle or home, or who is associated with the vehicle or home, may be autistic. This helps officers better understand certain behaviors with the hope of creating a safe and secure scene for all.

“I first heard about this idea in another part of the country, and I immediately thought it would be a great program to implement here Boulder,” Interim Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said. “Unfortunately, we see too many situations in the United States where officers are called to scenes without having a lot of details about the individuals involved and they end up having a confrontation with someone who might be neurodivergent. This is one of the ways we can help keep both community members and officers safe.”

BPD Chief of Staff Alastair McNiven spearheaded this program, consulting with several individuals and groups, such as the Autism Society of Boulder County and the Autism Society of Colorado among others, to jointly create inclusive images and wording that will be paired with a flyer for explanation. The decals will be handed out from the BPD Records Department, which is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, at 1805 33rd Street.

“This has been a very delicate conversation to have because not everyone agrees on the best image—puzzle piece vs. infinity symbol for example—our decision to offer both symbols reflects our commitment to honor these different voices, and to start this positive program here in the city,” Chief of Staff McNiven said.

The department also appreciates the city’s Independent Police Monitor, Sherry Daun, for facilitating conversations with the Center for People with Disabilities (CPWD), which has expressed support for the department’s commitment to improving services for people with disabilities. Craig Towler, CPWD Community Organizer, said, “We encourage community members to provide feedback on this Autism Decal program so it can live up to its goal of keeping all community members safe.”

The Autism Society of Colorado and the Autism Society of Boulder County said this program is a great step toward greater understanding and support for individuals with autism.

“Autism Society of Colorado (ASC) and Autism Society of Boulder County (ASBC) would like to commend the Boulder Police Department for taking proactive steps to build more inclusive communities. Approximately 1 in 5 young adults with Autism will interact with a police officer before the age of 21. Too many of these events result in restraint, arrest, improper use of force, physical and emotional trauma, and tragic death. These devastating outcomes occur when police misinterpret benign Autistic behaviors as suspicious, evasive, or dangerous. This is largely because police are trained to respond to a crisis with a protocol that does not consider neurodivergence,” the organizations said in a joint statement.

“The decal program offers the opportunity for responding officers to be aware and use appropriate training to respond to neurodivergent people in a way that is more responsive to their neurological needs. While we support choice, both ASC and ASBC know and recognize the infinity symbol as the most appropriate representation for the Autism community. We look forward to hearing the positive impact this decal program has for the way the Autism community and Boulder PD interact.”

As a collaborative effort, we look forward to further developing the program with feedback from the community. Feedback can be provided to Chief of Staff McNiven via email at mcnivena@bouldercolorado.gov, or by phone at (303) 441-1777.

A flyer given out with the decals will include the information below. We’re also in the process of translating it into Spanish and are exploring other languages.

Thank you for participating in the Boulder Police Department Autism Awareness Decal Program.

These decals, if placed on vehicles or homes in the City of Boulder, will alert officers that someone associated with the vehicle or home may be autistic.

This helps officers better understand certain behaviors with the goal of creating a safe and secure scene for all:

• Pulling away from an officer who might need to physically redirect someone
Often misinterpreted as resistance

• Sudden moves, or unpredictable/unexpected movement
Often misinterpreted as a threat

• Lack of eye contact
Often misinterpreted as reluctance to engage with the officer, based on the reason for contact

• Lack of verbal response to questions by an officer
Often misinterpreted as unwillingness to cooperate

Decal Choices
The Boulder Police Department offers two autism decals:

Infinity symbol

Puzzle Piece symbol

Choose the version you prefer. We understand there is controversy surrounding these symbols and we gathered feedback from the autism community and associated individuals which influenced the decision to offer both.

Thank you for your understanding and for choosing the option that you want.

Important Reminders:

We believe this decal program will help us better meet the needs of everyone involved in a police interaction, but we also want to be clear about three things:

• Like all community members, individuals with autism are still expected to follow the law.
• There could be times when officers still need to use appropriate safety measures, including reasonable use of force, to keep everyone involved safe.
• This is a new program and while Boulder officers will be gaining awareness around the decal and what it means, officers from other agencies or jurisdictions may not recognize the symbol or the intent behind the decal.

--CITY--