Bloomington, Minnesota — The Bloomington Police Department is attempting a new approach to better support neurodivergent people.
“One of our staff members came forward with this idea to have sensory bags to help neurodivergent individuals and people with autism,” said Bloomington Police Chief Booke Hodges.
The department received grant funding to purchase 100 sensory bags. Each bag contains noise canceling headphones, sunglasses, a stuffed animal, handheld sensory toys, a chewable necklace, a weighted lap blanket, and communication cards.
“I believe it will be a tremendous help. “It’s just one more tool for us to effectively communicate with people,” Hodges explained.
He said he is unaware of any police agency in the state or country that equips all of its squad cars with sensory bags. They will also have kits available at the Mall of America and law enforcement schools.
Hodges believes that the items in the bags will help to calm neurodivergent people, such as those with autism.
“These sensory tools can help set the stage for a calm and supportive interaction,” explained Ellie Wilson, executive director of the Autism Society of Minnesota.
Wilson described the autism community as rich, diverse, and full of wonderful people who just process information differently.
“Many people with autism have sensory processing differences in addition to behavioral differences. Wilson explained that autistic people can have true sensitivities, which means that sounds are too loud, lights are too bright, and smells are too strong.
“In particular emergencies or stressful circumstances lots of autistic people will report that even if they can communicate when they’re not stressed, they lose their ability to communicate effectively in those moments of distress, and so a kit like a sensory kit can help sort of address the first stage of interaction if we can get a person regulated.”
She said it’s common for autistic people to feel overwhelmed or underwhelmed and that tools like Bloomington’s sensory kit can help them.
“Another thing to understand about autistic people is they tend, especially in stressful situations to have difficulty filtering out the kind of sensory information that might be around them, things you or I may not even notice because our brain is focusing on the task at hand,” she told me.
Wilson stated that while sensory bags are an important first step, the kits will not solve all problems.
“Sensory kits may only be a piece of that proverbial puzzle, but it shows that these departments are really trying to further anticipate the needs of this community and figure out what responsibilities and opportunities they have to take this support upon themselves which we love to see,” Wilson told us.
She believes sensory kits are an important proactive tool and hopes that other workplaces will follow the police department’s lead in creating a more inclusive environment.
Wilson stated that neurodiversity exists in a variety of forms and is widespread across the state.
“The new numbers indicate that 1 in 28 people in the state of Minnesota identify as autistic and that’s not even getting to other types of neurodiversity,” Wilson told the audience.
Hodges stated that he believes the bags will benefit people who are neurodivergent, which is why he wanted them.
“It’s incumbent upon us in these positions and these agencies to make sure we’re doing what we can to effectively communicate with our communities,” Hodges told the crowd.
He said each bag cost about $45. He stated that the staff member who proposed the idea to him applied for grant funding for the Bloomington Crime Prevention Association.
Hodges stated that his department must continue to progress in order to meet the community’s needs. He stated that anyone who needs what is in the bag can keep everything. He stated that the items were chosen by staff.
He stated that his officers receive annual training on effective communication for individuals with autism. Hodges stated that these kits will provide his officers with the resources they require when encountering someone in the community who has autism and is stressed.