Watch Video Here: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/father-says-son-autism-was-slammed-ground-punched-officer-n1265142

“The recent video showing how a California police officer’s interaction with a teen with autism that quickly escalated is heartbreaking. As the father of a teenage son with autism who communicates in his own unique ways, I know how important it is to provide the necessary training for our police and first responders to recognize the signs of autism and how to respond.”

“New York has led the way on this issue by passing my statewide training initiative into law in 2018 and it’s time for the rest of the nation follow. This is a real-life example that shows the significant need to give officers and first responders the tools and the knowledge they need to appropriately interact and respond to individuals with autism. Whether that’s preventing a situation like the one in California or communicating with people with autism during emergency situations, we must do better and take every step to prevent tragic situations like this from happening in the future.”