Every first responder in Salt Lake City will soon get more training on handling situations with people who have special needs.
The announcement on Thursday comes after the shooting of an autistic teen last month.
“We were sitting at home, and it hit really hard,” said Joe Ingles, Utah Jazz player.
Ingles said he called and texted Mayor Erin Mendenhall and Police Chief Mike Brown about additional training and “probably annoyed them a little bit too much about it.”
They agreed, so in November, all of the city’s officers, firefighters and dispatchers will receive Certified Sensory Inclusive training from the nonprofit KultureCity. (Ingles is on the board.)
Training focuses on several factors, including the importance of empathy, what to do when engaging with someone who has an invisible disability or a sensory need, and how to recognize that they might have a need.