Marlborough Police Giving Out Autism Sleeves

MARLBOROUGH, MA — The Marlborough Department is giving out devices that will help local law enforcement visually identify people with special needs.

The Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation recently donated 30 sleeves to Marlborough police. The Velcro devices can be wrapped around seatbelts or backpack straps, helping police identify people who have special needs. The blue sleeves bear the phrase, "Autism Awareness, May Resist Help."

People with autism, especially young adults, have a high probability of being stopped by police due to behaviors associated with the disorder, according to a 2017 study by Drexel University's A.J. Drexel Autism Institute.

Sometimes those interactions turn violent, especially if an autistic person is unable to obey or understand a police officer. In September, police in Salt Lake City shot and killed a 13-year-old autistic boy who was having a psychological episode. A Florida police officer in 2019 was convicted of a misdemeanor after a 2016 shooting involving an autistic boy and his caretaker. And early in 2020, a Framingham school administrator was arrested in Hudson after intervening when police tried to arrest her nephew, according to a police report.

Any Marlborough residents who want a free autism sleeve should contact Marlborough police Sgt. Zachary Attaway at zattaway@marlborough-ma.gov.