For Immediate Release:
April 21, 2025
 
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – In recognition of Autism Acceptance Month, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) shares what we are doing to help law enforcement save lives when individuals and children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) go missing.
 
Preparing first responders to assist children and individuals with ASD prompted FDLE to pioneer a first-line responder training course: 9-1-1 Autism Awareness Telecommunicator Training. To date, more than 9,600 telecommunicators have successfully completed the course.
 
The training launched in 2022 and is a framework for telecommunicators to rapidly determine if a reported missing child may have the signs of ASD. This is critical because autistic children may be at an increased risk of endangerment, and the risk of death is elevated in people with autism due to drowning and higher rates of incidents within dangerous environments.
 
FDLE’s Missing Endangered Persons Information Clearinghouse (MEPIC) also was one of the first in the nation to implement the Enhanced Missing Child Alert (EMCA). The EMCA is a geolocation alert that is paired with strategies for law enforcement and the public to locate children with ASD or other neurodivergent conditions. It is most often used for children who are autistic and wander off. The alert allows law enforcement to send out a wireless emergency alert to a defined geographical 5-mile radius or targeted location such as a neighborhood or community. The alert quickly notifies the public of critical information regarding an endangered child. Since its implementation in 2019, more than 75 EMCAs have been issued, helping save dozens of lives.
 
“Florida law enforcement agencies have a responsibility to protect our most innocent and vulnerable. FDLE holds true to this standard, not just through the autism awareness telecommunicator training, but also through MEPIC’s role as a liaison between law enforcement and families, collaborator with public safety agencies and organizations and a source of training for officers,” said FDLE Office of Statewide Investigative Services Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Watson. “When events like a missing child are brought to law enforcement, the top priority must be to return the child to their family safely and that can only be done when the community fosters knowledge of the unique tendencies a child with autism may have. We train to save lives.”

For Further Information Contact:
FDLE Office of Public Information
Info@fdle.state.fl.us