Salt Lake police offer autism 'registry'

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If they had loved their child, yes.

And if they had a correct understanding of autism, which is doubtful considering the general (and even medical) misunderstanding, and police are seldom noted for their high intelligence. Ever notice how newspapers make sure to note if an offender had Asperger Syndrome/ autism after a violent event as though it may have been a contributing factor?

How does the cop at your door view this news? Negatively? That your child may be a danger to him/herself and potentially, to others? You won't know until you (and your child) are fully involved. And at this point there's no backing out (which might make things worse).

Don't make yourself (or your child) a target.

How would said registry work? Either way, I already made up my mind that I'm not going to self-identify. I only see it being used against me. What happens if I'm involved with the police, how do they figure out I'm autistic? Does it just pop up when they run my ID? What's the rules about confidentiality?

Personally I think it would be easier to just carry a medical identification bracelet or something I can wear under my jacket if I needed to.

Well, a lot of times, cops can be so trigger-happy, they can shoot first and ask questions later when dealing with someone that isn't understanding them properly. Sorry, but standard police protocol when they think there is the vaguest chance you are holding a weapon is to, in a matter of 3 seconds, scream incoherently (1.5 sec) and put about 8 bullets in you (1.5 sec). Does that make me feel safe? No.

An autism registry could go a few different ways. If autism were explained properly, it could lead to cops recognizing pretty readily that an autistic kid who isn't communicating himself/herself well isn't a "punk with an attitude" and help avoid meltdown situations that could turn deadly.

On the other hand, a really not-very-good explanation could lead to them thinking that people with ASD are somehow dangerous or heartless or something, which would not go well.

When evaluating things like this, I have to just say that I would need to know more of the details of how it's being applied. It could help a whole heck of a lot done properly, but it could mess things up badly done poorly.

maybe the whole idea of a standing police force needs to be fundamentally rethought. get them out of their cars and onto bikes or shoe leather. combine the functions of most police with most paramedics, cross-train and use them both where needed whether a medical situation or public safety situation. deem them "public safety officers" rather than police officers. make them good alphas and not bad alphas. just a thought.