Training Police Officers About Persons with Disabilities

Directors of police academies in the 50 states were contacted regarding training policies for new officers. Only Massachusetts and New Hampshire failed to provide any information. Thirty-Six states require instruction on persons with disabilities as part of initial police training; another four states provide some training but do not require it. An analysis of training topics reveals a wide variety of content, but most academies provide training about mental illness. Few academies include training about learning disabilities, mental retardation, or physical impairments (see note 1).