Police officers may experience various challenges when responding to situations involving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), such as when interviewing witnesses and interrogating suspects. Innovative resources are a key component in preparing police to effectively interact with individuals with IDD.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) is launching a new initiative, Reducing Risks and Building Trust: Effective Interview and Interrogation of People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. This program seeks to advance community policing by enhancing law enforcement in implementing effective strategies for interviews and interrogations of people with IDD who are witnesses to or suspects of crime.

In partnership with the Arc of the United States’ National Center on Criminal Justice and Disability (The Arc) and the Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office), the IACP will bring together police leaders, prosecutors, defense attorneys, behavioral health experts, legal experts, disability advocates, and persons with lived experience to develop resources for the policing profession to promote effective interactions with individuals with IDD during interviews and interrogations, strengthen the evidentiary value of these police practices, increase public safety by ensuring perpetrators are held accountable, and enhance public trust and confidence in policing.

During this two-year collaboration, the IACP will support the field by developing the following:

• National Consortium for Reducing Risks and Building Trust with People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities—A group of police leaders; nationally recognized experts from criminal justice, academic, and nonprofit organizations; and individuals with lived experience will meet quarterly over the next two years. This group will explore best practices; current research; case law and the legal landscape; existing training and resources; and specific challenges related to recognition, communication, understanding of Miranda rights, vulnerability to suggestion and influence, and risks of false confessions when working with this population. Discussions will also explore the impact on people with IDD, their families, and the community—and how these feed into community perceptions of, and trust in, police. This National Consortium model, with a multidisciplinary approach and community partnership framework, will allow the IACP to engage a wide span of impacted stakeholders and translate their input into recommendations for innovative policies and practices to inform police practices.
• Law Enforcement Roundtable—The IACP will host a roundtable at the 2025 IACP Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado, to gather feedback and seek guidance from police leaders representing diverse agencies around the United States. Participants will bring experience in community policing, training, police legal issues, civil rights, trauma-informed policing, and criminal investigations. Discussions will focus on exploring training, policy, and procedure needs; engagement strategies for police to form effective community partnerships with the disability community, prosecution, and criminal defense agencies in their local jurisdictions; and dissemination strategies for the project’s forthcoming resources.
• State of the Field and Roadmap Report—This report of the current state of practice and a roadmap of recommendations will be produced based on the National Consortium convenings; roundtable feedback; insights from partnering subject matter experts; and examination of the latest research, current practices, case law, and legal landscape. The report will provide recommended strategies for effectively interviewing and interrogating individuals with IDD. It will also include training, policy guidance, and community partner engagement strategies that will enhance police practices at the local level.
  

  This project is supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number 15JCOPS-24-GK-02520-PPSE awarded to the International Association of Chiefs of Police by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office). The opinions contained herein are those of the author(s) or contributor(s) and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. References to specific individuals, agencies, companies, products, or services should not be considered an endorsement by the author(s), contributor(s), or the U.S. Department of Justice. Rather, the references are illustrations to supplement discussion of the issues. The internet references cited in this publication were valid as of the date of publication. Given that URLs and websites are in constant flux, neither the author(s) nor the COPS Office can vouch for their current validity.

• Key Takeaways for Law Enforcement Brief—The IACP will condense the recommendations and strategies from the State of the Field and Roadmap Report down to the most essential, actionable information for police professionals. Working with project partners and the National Consortium, the IACP will identify and include the topline messages, highlight the issue, and outline the most important recommended practices for police professionals conducting interviews and interrogations with individuals with IDD. This high-level resource will provide actionable recommendations and highlight promising practices from around the United States that will help agencies and officers to operationalize the recommendations.

With this new initiative, the IACP will construct a foundation to enhance police practices around interviewing and interrogating individuals with IDD.d

Please cite as

Marianne Mulrooney, “Reducing Risks and Building Trust,” IACP@Work, Police Chief 92, no. 3 (March 2025): 80-81.