Calling the Police
If your child is living independently in the community, it will be important to discuss emergency situations and when it is advisable to call 911 or the local police. Your child has certain sensitivities and ways of doing things that may not mesh well with what others consider “typical.” This has the potential to create conflict for your child. Your child may find himself in altercations with neighbors, other tenants, or people in the community.
If your child is without an ally to help sort things through, he may be prone to blowing situations out of proportion. Your child may exaggerate things that other, less-sensitive people may consider simply ignorant or mildly offensive. When this happens, your child may believe he is justified in calling the police. It is important to help your child understand what types of situations warrant police intervention, as well as the priority level of those that do.
When a police call comes in, time and effort are required to ascertain its priority. Calls, such as a loud music complaint, may well be considered “low priority,” depending upon call volume and the flexibility of the police force on duty. That a call is low priority may or may not be communicated to the caller. It can be problematic for the person with Asperger's, whose acute hearing is deafened by a neighbor's music, to be told “it will be a while” or “an officer will be out in about an hour” when calling to complain. This vague response may cause the person to repeatedly call back to follow up, thus increasing everyone's frustration and anxiety.
Remember, police have authority over crime and criminal behavior, not civil issues. It may be a shock for your child (and perhaps you) to learn that there are certain civil issues over which police have limited influence or control, or are considered “iffy” in terms of interpretation. These may include:
Most circumstances involving landlords — a huge issue for lots of adults with Asperger's who feel mistreated or ignored
Verbal agreements with others, such as loaning someone a cell phone and he never gives it back or doesn't give it back by an agreed-upon date
Children under ten (who cannot be arrested) running in and out of a yard, or whose ball, for example, keeps bouncing into your yard
Certain types of speech, such as someone saying mean things
Unless there's reason to believe there is criminal intent against your child, such as plotting harm, these areas are largely beyond police purview. If there are valid concerns that are police responsibility but are also considered low priority, it will behoove your child to track the concerns through written documentation that includes dates, times, and succinct descriptions of the offending activity. Acts of criminal mischief, trespassing, or disturbance of the peace, like dogs barking or loud music, are offenses for which the perpetrator may receive a warning or a citation. Depending upon the severity of the situation, it may be that your child can attempt to resolve the situation in a neighborly and civil manner.
