Kirk's Crimes In Progress Lecture only for 9.5 WK class SP2014
I modified this lecture for only the LECJEC spring 2014 9.5 week class to read. Edit Text
Typically I would have worked with you for one day of your crimes in progress class, but I wasn't able to do so due to LECJEC scheduling conflicts this semester. Therefore, since I am probably one of your very few sources of training on disability issues in criminal justice, I wanted to still give you some extra tips on how to effectively and appropriately interact with people who have disabilities even though I physically didn't get to go over more tactical and technical things in the simulation lab. Also since you unfortunately didn't get an opportunity to ask me any type of questions about disability issues that might save you some embarrassment, complaints, or your life on the street, I want to begin with the basics of knowing how to treat people who have disabilities.
In theory, knowing how to treat people with disabilities should be simple, if you know what the golden rule is, treat others as you want to be treated! However, in reality, it’s not that simple! Who is really alike? No one! Thus, how do you really know how others want to be treated other than most likely with respect and kindness? You really don’t in all essence! Most people tend to quickly say “treat disabled people like anyone else”. It is indeed correct to treat all people equally as best as possible! However, everyone on earth has different qualities and challenges! Therefore, as criminal justice professionals or just as society members, you need to recognize and appreciate the unique qualities and challenges that individuals have, and be willing to try to accommodate for their desires and challenges! It is understandable why it can often be uncomfortable to be around persons with disabilities, because they don't fit the typical person that is known and accepted automatically by society. However, it is sad because even though persons with disabilities are especially different, essentially everyone has the same needs, desires, and basic functions! Even though it is bad to assume anything in criminal justice / law enforcement due to possible negative or even fatal effects it can have on you; please assume that persons with disabilities have average functions of their five senses, and that their thinking process is average unless you find out different. Thus do not assume that people with disabilities have hearing challenges or mental challenges! Also do not assume that standard or common accommodations will work for people who have similar disabilities, and don’t assume that every individual with a disability needs or wants accommodations. Try to let the individuals tell you what they desire and need! Also, try to make individuals feel comfortable talking to you! For example, if the individual is in a wheelchair, kneel down to talk to them, so you don’t intimidate them. However, remember that perceived victims could really be the suspects. Therefore, you want to always be cautious about kneeling down, because individuals could ram you easily by an electric wheelchair or kill you with a hidden weapon! Thus only kneel or sit down when you feel reasonably safe in your current surroundings, and only when you're quite certain that you're talking to a victim or a witness and not a suspect! Another way to make an individual feel comfortable talking to you, if they use an alternative communication style is to say that you have lots of time to talk so they don’t need to rush. However, be aware that some individuals may get mad at you for saying that, because they might feel that you’re belittling them. Also always look at them even if they are using an interpreter, because they’re still the ones who are talking to you. Furthermore, people with disabilities often get treated as children, because some people indeed just assume if one part of an individual is affected by a disability, then all of their five senses and their intelligence must be affected. Therefore, don’t talk to people with disabilities as children if they are adults with average intellect! In short; try to talk to people with disabilities as how you would others.
Good and bad terms.
Some bad terms to use for persons with disabilities are the following. Avoid using the word “handicapped”, because it really means crippled. Don’t call a disability a condition, because it usually means “good or bad” like the weather forecast. Additionally, don’t call a disability a disease. While a few disabilities could be classified as being “diseases": such as Muscular Dystrophy and Multiple sclerosis because they attack the body, people often characterize diseases as being contagious or being bad. Furthermore, try not to say, quote, that person is disabled; rather say, quote, that person has a disability. Some of the current, quote, in terms, referring to someone with a disability are, physically or mentally impaired or impairments. However, some people with disabilities don’t like those terms! They may prefer to be referred to as having physical challenges or being physically challenged with having their specific type of disability such as cerebral palsy. It is also acceptable to refer to someone who has a mental disability as being mentally challenged. Nevertheless, the terms, physically disabled or mentally disabled are essentially acceptable.
How to interview someone with a disability:
Like we briefly discussed in Report Writing, as criminal justice professionals, it is important to remember some extra items when interviewing or arresting someone who has a disability. When interviewing someone with a disability if they are either a witness or a victim of a crime, you need to be more patient than average to effectively obtain information from them. For example, if you discover that they have a communication challenge, you may need to forego using open-ended questions even though you always want to avoid leading them. Nevertheless, always believe that they are capable of answering open-ended questions unless you discover different. If the person who you interview uses an alternative form of communication such as a voice computer or interpreter, you need to document that fact in your report. You also need to document in your report as to what specific disability they have, and if they use any prescribed medication for their disability. Further yet, you need to clarify as to how the person can be contacted by phone in the future for follow up, because every situation is different. For example, some people with disabilities use many alternative ways of communicating over the telephone such as, a state relay service, a voice computer with just a speaker phone or headset, use a TDD, or some people just choose to talk through a personal care attendant or a family member. All of the above items are very important to have in your report because detectives and the prosecutor will want to know how to assist the individuals and how to prepare the jury by enabling the prosecutor to investigate how the specific disability exactly affects the particular individual. Also when you need to find transportation for a person who uses an electric wheelchair, be aware that paramedics can not transport them, because most electric wheelchairs weigh several hundred pounds. Thus you should try to find them wheelchair accessible transportation such as Metro Mobility, or Airport Town Taxi, but be aware that Metro Mobility usually isn't available without giving several days in advance notice. Furthermore, many students have asked me what an appropriate way to ask people about their disability is. My advice is to say to an individual that you understand that their disability is private and personal to them, but you would like to know about their specific disability to ensure that appropriate accommodations will be available if necessary.
How to conduct an investigative detention and/or a legal arrest of someone with a disability:
When you conduct an investigative detention or a legal arrest of a person who has a disability, you need to be aware of some extra legal and safety issues. For example, when talking to someone who is in a wheelchair, you need to have proper justification to immobilize their wheelchair. Although some other criminal justice professionals may disagree, I believe that you would have proper justification to immobilize their wheelchair only if they start to leave and won’t stop post to giving a couple of strong verbal commands! You would also be justified to immobilize their wheelchair post to executing a legal arrest. However, if you decide to immobilize their wheelchair, you need to have the mind-set that you have essentially removed their legs, so they can not move now without your assistance even in an emergency situation such as a vehicle quickly coming on the scene or another suspect starts firing a weapon! When you conduct a legal Terry Search / weapons search on a person in a wheelchair, you are justified to search them anywhere on their person or anywhere on their wheelchair, because you do not know where they can reach. When you need to take physical control of a person with a disability, obviously you need to show respect to them as you would to others by using the "ask tell make philosophy / method”. Even though some disabilities can cause people to have excessive physical or mental fragility, do not be afraid to use any type of pain compliance technique on them, because your safety is the most important especially if they are starting to give you justification to begin to climb the use of force continuum. Also feel free to hand-cuff people in wheelchairs in the front when you believe that you have “the right to”. When you conduct a legal arrest of someone who uses a wheelchair, again you should make an effort to transport them in an accessible vehicle that allows them to remain in their wheelchair in effort to ensure their safety. However, if you absolutely need to take the person out of their wheelchair to transport them, you need to secure their wheelchair in a safe place, because some wheelchairs and accessory medical equipment can cost over 30 thousand dollars. Also you need to check if they can still communicate and breathe if they are out of their wheelchair, because some people use communicating and breathing equipment that attach and only function on their wheelchair. Furthermore, when you need to disengage an electric wheelchair so it is electrically not operational and you can manually push it you should look for levers on either the back of the wheelchair or on both lower sides of the wheelchair. According to a local medical supply company, Metro Medical, the current majority of electric wheelchairs have their disengage levers on both sides or on the back but a few have a single lever under the seat. Also according to Metro Medical, most electric wheelchairs can not be manually pushed even when the wheelchair is still electrically turned on even if you use the disengage levers first, but a few wheelchairs can be manually pushed if they are still electrically turned on. However, if you can’t find or reach the disengage levers when chasing someone using an electric wheelchair; most criminal justice professionals believe that you would have a right to tip over the wheelchair when the person just shot someone or if you believe the person is likely to commit a crime with a weapon. Nevertheless, you should always have the totality of the circumstances in mind, because if you tip over a wheelchair, you will probably be on the news. However, the personal safety of you and other law-abiding citizens should be always your top priority as a criminal justice professional! By the way, if accessible transportation or accessible jail facilities are not available when you need to arrest someone who uses an electric wheelchair, you may have the option to charge them by a formal complaint for less serious crimes rather than taking them in to custody unless they are a high flight risk or if you couldn’t identify them. However, personally, I would always find a way to take them in to custody, because I would be a hard ass cop! LOL!
Since personally I typically don’t have a care attendant with me when I work or just when I am out and about obviously partly due to my crazy nocturnal behavior of enjoying working and being out late at night, I want to briefly talk about how you could feel comfortable to effectively interact with me personally if we would ever meet in public. You could always easily interact with me! First never feel bad about telling me to repeat myself, because my computer talks fast and is hard to understand. And whenever you were physically near me, you could always read what I was saying at the top of the screen if you couldn’t understand the voice. Also if I ever wanted to tell you a super long private message without sound, I would flip up the key guard, and switch to a big text screen, so you could read it easier. By the way, since I probably wouldn't already have a message ready to tell you, it would usually take me about five minutes to type ten words. And sometimes it may appear I am getting frustrated or having trouble, because my hands and feet tend to move around a lot when I type. But I am always cool and never get frustrated!
If I could have worked with you in your crimes in progress class, I would have done a lot of different scenarios to make you aware that people with disabilities can be dangerous and commit criminal acts! For example, in one scenario; I stole a watch from a store and of course I deny it. I woud run if you didn't handle the call right. Also I would have taught you ways to handcuff and search me etc. In another scenario; I'm a drug dealer and I just made a deal and I have a gun and I typically would run away when you would have arrived on scene if you didn't ask to see my hands right away. Many students generally assume that the other role-player is the drug dealer. Also they don't know how to stop my electric wheelchair or what force they can use. So I would have coached you on many different things with each type of scenario. In another one; I went to a motel with a prostitute and she stole all of my money without giving me anything so I call the cops. In another one; I vandalize a car because it's in the handicapped spot illegally and the owner assaulted me, and I pretend to be an angry innocent victim along with infuriating the vehicle occupants. Another one is that I witness a car break in and I saw him throw something, which turns out to be a gun. In another one; I call the cops because my brother hit me while being my care attendant and living with me. Furthermore, in another scenario; I am on a date and she calls the police, because I threaten her with a gun to perform a sexual act. In all of the scenarios I would have done my best to make it real as much as possible! For example, I would swear and hassle you a lot while we're acting out the scenarios, so you would get used to dealing with people who are like the population that cops deal with on the street on most days.
In Closing, I just want to brief you on a couple of more things regarding certain legal issues about me. First, like some persons with disabilities, I am not, fragile at all, so it would be safe to use any type of pain compliance technique on me. Also it would be safe to really cuff me in the front when you feel you have the right too! Second, you could search me anywhere for weapons on a Terry, because again you do not know where I can reach! Also, I drive my electric wheelchair with my head and right leg, and I can go seven miles per hour. Thus in order to stop me such as in a chase or arrest situation, you would need to push on my motor disengage levers on the lower sides of my wheelchair. However, disengaging my wheelchair is like handcuffing me. So remember that some verbal commands need to be ignored by a person before you can disengage / disable their wheelchair! Furthermore, I encourage you to browse my own website, because it has all of my Master’s thesis on it. My thesis was about how criminal justice professionals can effectively interact with people who have disabilities as criminals, victims, and witnesses. I wrote all five chapters of my thesis as a training guide for criminal justice professionals regarding legal issues with people who have disabilities, thus I highly recommend that you read all five chapters when you have time! However, if you just have time to read only a couple of chapters, I suggest that you focus on chapters 1 and 4, because in chapter 1, I describe common disabilities, and in chapter 4, I give many tips and instructions to appropriately handle everyday interactions with people who have disabilities. The remainder section of chapter 4 of my thesis has many fictional scenarios that I have designed and/or used to train criminal justice professionals to effectively interact with people who have disabilities. Even though all of the scenarios are fictional, any criminal justice professional could be easily faced with similar situations in real life tomorrow! If you do browse my website, please do not discuss the scenarios with current or future criminal justice students who I might teach in the future, and I don’t just work at L.E.C.J.E.C. Thank you! Throughout your entire career, I welcome you to contact me with any questions that come up regarding people with disabilities and the American Criminal Justice System! You can always contact me at kcop1123@yahoo.com My website is WWW.KIRKSTIPS.COM By the way, a very similar document as this lecture can be found on my website. I titled it on my website as, Kirk's Crimes In Progress Lecture Etc. only for 9.5 WK class SP2014.
Before actually closing, I want to tell you a few miscellaneous things First, do you think I can walk? I can't walk but you never know! And a good example of that was shown on an episode of Cops: where the police were talking to a guy in a wheelchair on the street about a recent incident. The guy suddenly got mad for some reason and he stood up out of his wheelchair and started shooting at the officers, so the officers needed to fatally wound him! So it proves that you should never assume anything in law enforcement whenever possible! Second, I had an interesting experience on Christmas Eve 2010 regarding the need to transport someone who uses an electric wheelchair in emergency situations not necessarily while under arrest. My van got totaled due to some jack ass failing to stop at a stop sign. My van was obviously towed away. So I asked the responding police officer, who I knew, my famous question about transporting me home in my wheelchair. He said that the tow truck would have a wheelchair lift to get me in the back of the cab. He was right. And the tow truck driver told me that they bought the wheelchair accessible tow truck five years previously and they had used it just three times. I was surprised that they had a wheelchair accessible tow truck, but I was of course damn glad they did especially because I don't know who I could have called and gotten to come on Christmas Eve! Anyway it was Chiefs towing, and I think they are in Bloomington, but they may have other locations, I don't know. I just thought it was something interesting for you to know and remember. Thirdly, several years ago, I went to a law enforcement conference, and they had a deaf culture awareness seminar. A couple of important and interesting things they mentioned were that on traffic stops, people who are deaf are likely to automatically get out of their vehicles right away, so they can see the officer better to communicate. Also they said that some people who are deaf can get irritated if officers have their children interpret for them. However, now a lot of people who are deaf have video phones in their homes known as VP's. So on domestic calls, they are likely to lead officers to their VP, so a professional interpreter can help. Ok, now I'm finally done with my formal lecture, LOL! Does anyone have any questions? If so, please don't hesitate to email me!
Typically I would have worked with you for one day of your crimes in progress class, but I wasn't able to do so due to LECJEC scheduling conflicts this semester. Therefore, since I am probably one of your very few sources of training on disability issues in criminal justice, I wanted to still give you some extra tips on how to effectively and appropriately interact with people who have disabilities even though I physically didn't get to go over more tactical and technical things in the simulation lab. Also since you unfortunately didn't get an opportunity to ask me any type of questions about disability issues that might save you some embarrassment, complaints, or your life on the street, I want to begin with the basics of knowing how to treat people who have disabilities.
In theory, knowing how to treat people with disabilities should be simple, if you know what the golden rule is, treat others as you want to be treated! However, in reality, it’s not that simple! Who is really alike? No one! Thus, how do you really know how others want to be treated other than most likely with respect and kindness? You really don’t in all essence! Most people tend to quickly say “treat disabled people like anyone else”. It is indeed correct to treat all people equally as best as possible! However, everyone on earth has different qualities and challenges! Therefore, as criminal justice professionals or just as society members, you need to recognize and appreciate the unique qualities and challenges that individuals have, and be willing to try to accommodate for their desires and challenges! It is understandable why it can often be uncomfortable to be around persons with disabilities, because they don't fit the typical person that is known and accepted automatically by society. However, it is sad because even though persons with disabilities are especially different, essentially everyone has the same needs, desires, and basic functions! Even though it is bad to assume anything in criminal justice / law enforcement due to possible negative or even fatal effects it can have on you; please assume that persons with disabilities have average functions of their five senses, and that their thinking process is average unless you find out different. Thus do not assume that people with disabilities have hearing challenges or mental challenges! Also do not assume that standard or common accommodations will work for people who have similar disabilities, and don’t assume that every individual with a disability needs or wants accommodations. Try to let the individuals tell you what they desire and need! Also, try to make individuals feel comfortable talking to you! For example, if the individual is in a wheelchair, kneel down to talk to them, so you don’t intimidate them. However, remember that perceived victims could really be the suspects. Therefore, you want to always be cautious about kneeling down, because individuals could ram you easily by an electric wheelchair or kill you with a hidden weapon! Thus only kneel or sit down when you feel reasonably safe in your current surroundings, and only when you're quite certain that you're talking to a victim or a witness and not a suspect! Another way to make an individual feel comfortable talking to you, if they use an alternative communication style is to say that you have lots of time to talk so they don’t need to rush. However, be aware that some individuals may get mad at you for saying that, because they might feel that you’re belittling them. Also always look at them even if they are using an interpreter, because they’re still the ones who are talking to you. Furthermore, people with disabilities often get treated as children, because some people indeed just assume if one part of an individual is affected by a disability, then all of their five senses and their intelligence must be affected. Therefore, don’t talk to people with disabilities as children if they are adults with average intellect! In short; try to talk to people with disabilities as how you would others.
Good and bad terms.
Some bad terms to use for persons with disabilities are the following. Avoid using the word “handicapped”, because it really means crippled. Don’t call a disability a condition, because it usually means “good or bad” like the weather forecast. Additionally, don’t call a disability a disease. While a few disabilities could be classified as being “diseases": such as Muscular Dystrophy and Multiple sclerosis because they attack the body, people often characterize diseases as being contagious or being bad. Furthermore, try not to say, quote, that person is disabled; rather say, quote, that person has a disability. Some of the current, quote, in terms, referring to someone with a disability are, physically or mentally impaired or impairments. However, some people with disabilities don’t like those terms! They may prefer to be referred to as having physical challenges or being physically challenged with having their specific type of disability such as cerebral palsy. It is also acceptable to refer to someone who has a mental disability as being mentally challenged. Nevertheless, the terms, physically disabled or mentally disabled are essentially acceptable.
How to interview someone with a disability:
Like we briefly discussed in Report Writing, as criminal justice professionals, it is important to remember some extra items when interviewing or arresting someone who has a disability. When interviewing someone with a disability if they are either a witness or a victim of a crime, you need to be more patient than average to effectively obtain information from them. For example, if you discover that they have a communication challenge, you may need to forego using open-ended questions even though you always want to avoid leading them. Nevertheless, always believe that they are capable of answering open-ended questions unless you discover different. If the person who you interview uses an alternative form of communication such as a voice computer or interpreter, you need to document that fact in your report. You also need to document in your report as to what specific disability they have, and if they use any prescribed medication for their disability. Further yet, you need to clarify as to how the person can be contacted by phone in the future for follow up, because every situation is different. For example, some people with disabilities use many alternative ways of communicating over the telephone such as, a state relay service, a voice computer with just a speaker phone or headset, use a TDD, or some people just choose to talk through a personal care attendant or a family member. All of the above items are very important to have in your report because detectives and the prosecutor will want to know how to assist the individuals and how to prepare the jury by enabling the prosecutor to investigate how the specific disability exactly affects the particular individual. Also when you need to find transportation for a person who uses an electric wheelchair, be aware that paramedics can not transport them, because most electric wheelchairs weigh several hundred pounds. Thus you should try to find them wheelchair accessible transportation such as Metro Mobility, or Airport Town Taxi, but be aware that Metro Mobility usually isn't available without giving several days in advance notice. Furthermore, many students have asked me what an appropriate way to ask people about their disability is. My advice is to say to an individual that you understand that their disability is private and personal to them, but you would like to know about their specific disability to ensure that appropriate accommodations will be available if necessary.
How to conduct an investigative detention and/or a legal arrest of someone with a disability:
When you conduct an investigative detention or a legal arrest of a person who has a disability, you need to be aware of some extra legal and safety issues. For example, when talking to someone who is in a wheelchair, you need to have proper justification to immobilize their wheelchair. Although some other criminal justice professionals may disagree, I believe that you would have proper justification to immobilize their wheelchair only if they start to leave and won’t stop post to giving a couple of strong verbal commands! You would also be justified to immobilize their wheelchair post to executing a legal arrest. However, if you decide to immobilize their wheelchair, you need to have the mind-set that you have essentially removed their legs, so they can not move now without your assistance even in an emergency situation such as a vehicle quickly coming on the scene or another suspect starts firing a weapon! When you conduct a legal Terry Search / weapons search on a person in a wheelchair, you are justified to search them anywhere on their person or anywhere on their wheelchair, because you do not know where they can reach. When you need to take physical control of a person with a disability, obviously you need to show respect to them as you would to others by using the "ask tell make philosophy / method”. Even though some disabilities can cause people to have excessive physical or mental fragility, do not be afraid to use any type of pain compliance technique on them, because your safety is the most important especially if they are starting to give you justification to begin to climb the use of force continuum. Also feel free to hand-cuff people in wheelchairs in the front when you believe that you have “the right to”. When you conduct a legal arrest of someone who uses a wheelchair, again you should make an effort to transport them in an accessible vehicle that allows them to remain in their wheelchair in effort to ensure their safety. However, if you absolutely need to take the person out of their wheelchair to transport them, you need to secure their wheelchair in a safe place, because some wheelchairs and accessory medical equipment can cost over 30 thousand dollars. Also you need to check if they can still communicate and breathe if they are out of their wheelchair, because some people use communicating and breathing equipment that attach and only function on their wheelchair. Furthermore, when you need to disengage an electric wheelchair so it is electrically not operational and you can manually push it you should look for levers on either the back of the wheelchair or on both lower sides of the wheelchair. According to a local medical supply company, Metro Medical, the current majority of electric wheelchairs have their disengage levers on both sides or on the back but a few have a single lever under the seat. Also according to Metro Medical, most electric wheelchairs can not be manually pushed even when the wheelchair is still electrically turned on even if you use the disengage levers first, but a few wheelchairs can be manually pushed if they are still electrically turned on. However, if you can’t find or reach the disengage levers when chasing someone using an electric wheelchair; most criminal justice professionals believe that you would have a right to tip over the wheelchair when the person just shot someone or if you believe the person is likely to commit a crime with a weapon. Nevertheless, you should always have the totality of the circumstances in mind, because if you tip over a wheelchair, you will probably be on the news. However, the personal safety of you and other law-abiding citizens should be always your top priority as a criminal justice professional! By the way, if accessible transportation or accessible jail facilities are not available when you need to arrest someone who uses an electric wheelchair, you may have the option to charge them by a formal complaint for less serious crimes rather than taking them in to custody unless they are a high flight risk or if you couldn’t identify them. However, personally, I would always find a way to take them in to custody, because I would be a hard ass cop! LOL!
Since personally I typically don’t have a care attendant with me when I work or just when I am out and about obviously partly due to my crazy nocturnal behavior of enjoying working and being out late at night, I want to briefly talk about how you could feel comfortable to effectively interact with me personally if we would ever meet in public. You could always easily interact with me! First never feel bad about telling me to repeat myself, because my computer talks fast and is hard to understand. And whenever you were physically near me, you could always read what I was saying at the top of the screen if you couldn’t understand the voice. Also if I ever wanted to tell you a super long private message without sound, I would flip up the key guard, and switch to a big text screen, so you could read it easier. By the way, since I probably wouldn't already have a message ready to tell you, it would usually take me about five minutes to type ten words. And sometimes it may appear I am getting frustrated or having trouble, because my hands and feet tend to move around a lot when I type. But I am always cool and never get frustrated!
If I could have worked with you in your crimes in progress class, I would have done a lot of different scenarios to make you aware that people with disabilities can be dangerous and commit criminal acts! For example, in one scenario; I stole a watch from a store and of course I deny it. I woud run if you didn't handle the call right. Also I would have taught you ways to handcuff and search me etc. In another scenario; I'm a drug dealer and I just made a deal and I have a gun and I typically would run away when you would have arrived on scene if you didn't ask to see my hands right away. Many students generally assume that the other role-player is the drug dealer. Also they don't know how to stop my electric wheelchair or what force they can use. So I would have coached you on many different things with each type of scenario. In another one; I went to a motel with a prostitute and she stole all of my money without giving me anything so I call the cops. In another one; I vandalize a car because it's in the handicapped spot illegally and the owner assaulted me, and I pretend to be an angry innocent victim along with infuriating the vehicle occupants. Another one is that I witness a car break in and I saw him throw something, which turns out to be a gun. In another one; I call the cops because my brother hit me while being my care attendant and living with me. Furthermore, in another scenario; I am on a date and she calls the police, because I threaten her with a gun to perform a sexual act. In all of the scenarios I would have done my best to make it real as much as possible! For example, I would swear and hassle you a lot while we're acting out the scenarios, so you would get used to dealing with people who are like the population that cops deal with on the street on most days.
In Closing, I just want to brief you on a couple of more things regarding certain legal issues about me. First, like some persons with disabilities, I am not, fragile at all, so it would be safe to use any type of pain compliance technique on me. Also it would be safe to really cuff me in the front when you feel you have the right too! Second, you could search me anywhere for weapons on a Terry, because again you do not know where I can reach! Also, I drive my electric wheelchair with my head and right leg, and I can go seven miles per hour. Thus in order to stop me such as in a chase or arrest situation, you would need to push on my motor disengage levers on the lower sides of my wheelchair. However, disengaging my wheelchair is like handcuffing me. So remember that some verbal commands need to be ignored by a person before you can disengage / disable their wheelchair! Furthermore, I encourage you to browse my own website, because it has all of my Master’s thesis on it. My thesis was about how criminal justice professionals can effectively interact with people who have disabilities as criminals, victims, and witnesses. I wrote all five chapters of my thesis as a training guide for criminal justice professionals regarding legal issues with people who have disabilities, thus I highly recommend that you read all five chapters when you have time! However, if you just have time to read only a couple of chapters, I suggest that you focus on chapters 1 and 4, because in chapter 1, I describe common disabilities, and in chapter 4, I give many tips and instructions to appropriately handle everyday interactions with people who have disabilities. The remainder section of chapter 4 of my thesis has many fictional scenarios that I have designed and/or used to train criminal justice professionals to effectively interact with people who have disabilities. Even though all of the scenarios are fictional, any criminal justice professional could be easily faced with similar situations in real life tomorrow! If you do browse my website, please do not discuss the scenarios with current or future criminal justice students who I might teach in the future, and I don’t just work at L.E.C.J.E.C. Thank you! Throughout your entire career, I welcome you to contact me with any questions that come up regarding people with disabilities and the American Criminal Justice System! You can always contact me at kcop1123@yahoo.com My website is WWW.KIRKSTIPS.COM By the way, a very similar document as this lecture can be found on my website. I titled it on my website as, Kirk's Crimes In Progress Lecture Etc. only for 9.5 WK class SP2014.
Before actually closing, I want to tell you a few miscellaneous things First, do you think I can walk? I can't walk but you never know! And a good example of that was shown on an episode of Cops: where the police were talking to a guy in a wheelchair on the street about a recent incident. The guy suddenly got mad for some reason and he stood up out of his wheelchair and started shooting at the officers, so the officers needed to fatally wound him! So it proves that you should never assume anything in law enforcement whenever possible! Second, I had an interesting experience on Christmas Eve 2010 regarding the need to transport someone who uses an electric wheelchair in emergency situations not necessarily while under arrest. My van got totaled due to some jack ass failing to stop at a stop sign. My van was obviously towed away. So I asked the responding police officer, who I knew, my famous question about transporting me home in my wheelchair. He said that the tow truck would have a wheelchair lift to get me in the back of the cab. He was right. And the tow truck driver told me that they bought the wheelchair accessible tow truck five years previously and they had used it just three times. I was surprised that they had a wheelchair accessible tow truck, but I was of course damn glad they did especially because I don't know who I could have called and gotten to come on Christmas Eve! Anyway it was Chiefs towing, and I think they are in Bloomington, but they may have other locations, I don't know. I just thought it was something interesting for you to know and remember. Thirdly, several years ago, I went to a law enforcement conference, and they had a deaf culture awareness seminar. A couple of important and interesting things they mentioned were that on traffic stops, people who are deaf are likely to automatically get out of their vehicles right away, so they can see the officer better to communicate. Also they said that some people who are deaf can get irritated if officers have their children interpret for them. However, now a lot of people who are deaf have video phones in their homes known as VP's. So on domestic calls, they are likely to lead officers to their VP, so a professional interpreter can help. Ok, now I'm finally done with my formal lecture, LOL! Does anyone have any questions? If so, please don't hesitate to email me!