DIDD Continues Training for Law Enforcement

NASHVILLE—The Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (DIDD) conducted its second training session for law enforcement Wednesday.  More than a dozen special agents with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) attended the training designed to assist investigators and officers when they come into contact with people with disabilities.

Bruce Davis, PhD, Director of Behavioral and Psychological Services and Steven Sutherland, Assistant Director of Incident Management, presented the training session.

“We are excited about expanding our partnerships with law enforcement to benefit all Tennesseans with disabilities,” said DIDD Commissioner Debra K. Payne.  “This effort with the TBI is especially important because they are involved in some of the most difficult cases involving people the department supports.”

In Tennessee, as many as 132,000 people may have an intellectual disability.

“That number accounts for more than 2% of the state’s residents, so the probability an investigator is going to encounter someone with an intellectual disability is high,” Davis said.

The department’s interaction with the TBI often comes through the bureau’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU).  The MFCU is frequently involved in investigations of incidents of abuse, neglect and exploitation of persons supported by DIDD-contracted providers.  Several members of the MFCU participated in the training session.

“Part of our job to protect and serve is knowing more about the people we might encounter during the course of our work,” said TBI Director Mark Gwyn. “I’m grateful to our partners at DIDD for offering this valuable training to help us better understand the nuances of working with individuals who live with intellectual or developmental disabilities.”

Subsequent training sessions are planned with the Tennessee Sheriffs’ Association (TSA) and the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police (TACP).  A previous session reached more than 60 law enforcement agencies across the state through the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Officers’ Association.

You can now watch the presentation on the department's YouTube channel at this link: https://youtu.be/8e42-U5kK_E

To take a closer look at the training materials that are going to departments statewide: http://www.tn.gov{filedir_46}DIDD_Materials_for_Law_Enforcement.pdf