New Florida Bill Would Require Police to Be Trained on Handling People With Autism

‘We want everyone on both sides to be in the safest environment possible to de-escalate a situation rather than potentially make it worse.’

The Old Florida Capitol, built in 1845 and photographed on March 14, 2023, now serves as a museum, while the government work of Florida is based in a newer Capitol building behind it in Tallahassee, Fla. Nanette Holt/The Epoch Times

A new bill was filed before the Florida Legislature on Dec. 12 that aims to make training on how to properly identify and handle people with autism spectrum disorder mandatory for law enforcement officers.

Filed by Rep. Paula Stark, the legislation (pdf) calls for law enforcement to participate in a minimum of four hours of in-person training from both current and recruited officers.