MOUNT PEARL, N.L. – A teenager was arrested and detained by Newfoundland police who mistook his autistic behaviour for public intoxication, “an obvious wrong” that underscores the need for better training for front-line officers, his mother said Wednesday.
Dane Spurrell, 18, was walking home from a video game store just after midnight Sunday when he was approached by Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officers who told him he should be walking on a sidewalk and not on a road, his mother Diane says.
After saying that wasn’t possible because there are no sidewalks in the area, Dane was asked by the two officers to allow them to smell his breath, but he resisted and was apprehended, she said.
“Dane was handcuffed on the ground and then taken and put into the back seat of the cruiser, brought down to the lockup,” she said in an interview from her home in Mount Pearl, a suburb west of St. John’s.
She said she didn’t know the whereabouts of her son until five hours after the incident, when she called 911 to report him missing.
“I was just about out of mind. Then the police let me know that he had been arrested for being drunk in public and resisting arrest … and for his own protection,” she said.
Police did not allow him to phone her, but returned him home around 8 a.m. Sunday without charging him, she said.
“The biggest question I have is why he wasn’t allowed to contact me. Everything could’ve been resolved with one phone call.”
She has filed a formal complaint against the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. An independent police complaints commission is looking into the matter, and a criminal investigation into the conduct of the officers has also been launched.
“It’s an obvious wrong and what I hope comes from this is that firstly, that it never happens again,” she said. “Secondly, that they receive some training and I think they need to be reprimanded on some level.”
Insp. Barry Constantine said the police force couldn’t comment.
Trish Williams, executive director for Autism Society of Newfoundland and Labrador, agreed that Spurrell’s detention highlights the need for better training for police officers in recognizing the symptoms of autism.
“It certainly doesn’t happen everyday, but it is a common issue for first responders when they come across people with autism or disabilities,” Williams said.
“They often don’t realize exactly what’s going on in the situation and they may rush to judgment of the individual.”
By coincidence, the force had contacted the organization about a week ago to provide training for their officers. Williams said that would begin in May.
Justice Minister Tom Marshall said he couldn’t comment on whether the actions of the police were appropriate before Spurrell’s complaint was resolved. But he said he was startled after hearing of the incident.
“I was troubled by it,” he said in an interview.
“As a parent, I can certainly empathize with Mrs. Spurrell here. When a son or daughter is picked up by the police, especially someone who may have a disability, you want to make sure they’re treated appropriately.”
During an interview at their home, Diane Spurrell turned to her son and asked him what he would do if confronted by police officers again.
“Stop,” he replied, “because I was told to by you.”
