Law Enforcement - Driving / Driver's License Stickers....?

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I've been overly concerned about law enforcement the last two years. My concern initiated after I began being pulled over for walking - something that happened 12 times in the last year. I would be confronted by cops for being a pedestrian. I'm still not sure why. I have an odd walk, a thousand-mile-stare. A couple times the police behaved in a concerning way, frisking for weapons, indirect and cryptic with language. I recently moved out of that state (FL).

Seeing the state of the nation (ever increasing police presence), for the sake of awareness and my own safety, I want to put some kind of sticker on my driver's license - to warn any officer who interacts with me that I have an ASD (asperger's). I imagine it being something to the effect of "Individual may exhibit odd behavior or confusion. Individual processes language differently. Please Speak Directly." "Individual may not full comprehend your commands or respond immediately" or something like that. More succinct, less 'disability' like language. I really not very impaired - but somethings cognitive ends just don't meet, especially under stress.

I actually don't go out walking anymore, because of the police presence. I nearly always get stopped, often detained and questioned. I also have a pacemaker for electrical heart issues, and have a fear of tazers and other "non-lethal' weapons which can actually kill me.

Is there something like this available for people with Asperger's who drive? I'd feel safer if I had one.

I purchased one of those little silicone rubber bracelet thingies that say autistic on it so if I get stopped it is on me and hopefully the police person will understand and has training and wont be threatening-its one way to identify and or a medic alert bracelet can say autistic too.

If you are ever out walking and the police stop you, ask them why they did. If they show an attitude ask to see a supervisor or commander (Sergeant or Lieutenant) and tell the superior that the officer was behaving in an unprofessional manner.

And no, AFAIK, there are no special stickers to put on your License, but I think Radiofixr has the right idea.

I like Radiofixr's idea.

I live in a small town and joined the city council in January ( no opposition, so I won.) I had an option to join a state committee, so I joined public safety, because I've had the same experiences. That was before I knew I was autistic, I just thought I had problems because I look at least 10 years younger than I actually am. So I'm going to try to figure out a way to deal with this in my state. I think that there are a lot of autistic people in jail for looking "suspicious."

I did this a few times, and was ignored. Once I got the response "If you're out in the evening, we're going to stop you." I don't know if they meant me specifically, or just anyone who used the sidewalk. I used to walk everywhere because my GF at the time used the car for work, and several stores / friends houses were within 2 miles.

I did research later and found that detaining people without 'reasonable suspicion' is not legal. I have been detained repeatedly, frisked several times. It is far easier to understand the laws and their intentions, than it is the officer's behavior and intentions. Nothing I have done ever qualified as 'reasonable suspicion' by what the law says. "Awkward individual + lack of sunlight" is not a legal precedent for anything. It's supposed to be something conspicuously odd and suspicious - a combination of behavior and circumstances. Neighborhood complaint, erratic or alarming behavior, etc.

Officers aren't supposed to be able to detain people at their leisure, or to 'go fishing' until they elicit such legal conditions from people. It's all highly dubious, and I don't understand it. They don't obey what the courts say they can do. I don't know what the rules are, as there don't seem to be any. Hence why I think I need to tag myself for my own safety.

You could go down to the station during daylight, at a time of your own choosing, with a letter from a doctor and an advocate with you, it's still a high stakes thing which may work out positively, which may not. (A classic negotiating technique, even if you already a good negotiator, is to have another person with you. And basically, the officer in charge may decide you're a reasonable individual, or he or she may not.)

Getting in a argument with a police officer in the field is a losing proposition.

Radiofixr's idea of a silicone rubber bracelet has potential.

Maybe also a card you carry in your wallet, signed by a doctor, which can be a regular family practitioner or a PhD. The advantage is that it's then not merely something you are telling the officer.


PS I protested the first Persian Gulf War way back in 1991. And I have done other political activism. Obviously, there is often a chasm between how things should be and how things are. Doesn't mean we shouldn't work for improvement, just sometimes it's real slow in coming, other times progress seems to come easily and quickly, and unpredictably so on both counts.

Last edited by AardvarkGoodSwimmer on 27 Oct 2011, 3:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.

So you got stopped by the police for looking weird? I thought that most criminals would try to look as normal as possible.

Thank you for your efforts to improve things.

Where did you find these? I've seen some that say "Autism" but I'm not comfortable with one that says Autism 'cause that means classic autism to people. "Autistic" would be much nicer.

People wear the silicone bracelets for all sorts of reasons and causes and the one I have is green and has the medical symbol on it and says "autistic" I will try and post a link to the picture here Silicone Autistic Bracelet I like it and it doesn't irritate me.

I found them on eBay and there are websites that sell stuff for people with special needs-I am not endorsing eBay or any other place on the internet but saying where I got the ones I got.See my previous post for a picture of the Silicone Bracelet

Yes, I have had this issue too, on more than one occasion...

"An Unfortunate Misunderstanding With Law Enforcement"

Sometimes it's protocol to stop people walking at night. The autism bracelet suggested before might help. However, if it continues to be a problem, contact an attorney and/or the local ACLU.

This is a problem for many of us... I have a MedicAlert bracelet saying "High Functioning Autism may present as peculiar or suspicious eye contact or guilty demeanor". I get pulled over for things like dim license plate light, or matching the description of a wanted child molester, etc. All kinds of bogus reasons.

Charles

Thanks for the encouragement, I''ll do what I can.



I've been pulled over, in a tiny white Chevy Cavalier, for "night hunting."

Or, a person can kind of go pre-formal, call and schedule a time ('it's starting to be a problem,' that is, a conscious decision to understate it), and then go down there with your minister or an uncle or a former boss. That is, someone in the community who has informal authority.

Of course, none of this should be necessary. You should be treated with the same respect if you go down there by yourself. But it does change the social dynamic having an advocate there with you even if you do most of the talking.

Or, just call. One guy I knew a little bit at work about 20 years ago was stopped every time he drove through an area basically just because he had long hair. He called up, asked to speak with a sergeant, and said, a little polite back and forth, and then, hey, I'm just a guy going to work. And they stopped pulling him over.

Won't always work, feel and texture as you go along.

Best case scenario, police might see an active role, just a different active role regarding you. Okay, you're a person with autism. Their role is to protect you if someone starts to give you sh`t.