Orange County pairs deputies with clinicians in behavioral response unit; offers voluntary autism decal to ease police stops

Orange County Sheriff John Mina said the sheriff's office created a behavioral response unit that dispatches a deputy paired with a clinician to certain mental‑health calls so safety and clinical care can be present on scene. "We pair a deputy with a clinician and in many of those cases they respond together to see if they can help that person out," Mina told host Charlene Stanford Green.

Mina described training practices that support the unit: deputies receive a weeklong crisis intervention course and training sessions that include parents and adults on the spectrum to rehearse likely reactions. "We actually bring in parents and actual adults...who are on the spectrum, and they talk to us and we go through scenarios with the new deputies," Mina said.

The sheriff also explained the voluntary autism decal program, which residents can request to notify law enforcement that an occupant may be on the spectrum. He said deputies are trained to notice the decal, reduce lights and sirens and approach with different tactics when appropriate. "It's all voluntary, so people can just call us," Mina said. The program and training are presented as existing operational practices; no new policies or mandates were announced.

Next steps described in the interview focused on outreach and training reinforcement rather than legislative change.