Parents of a child who is on the autism spectrum say more must be done when it comes to police interactions with neurodiverse people.
As the local community continues to mourn the loss of 15-year-old Chase de Balinhard, an autistic teen who was fatally shot during a police incident in the Clayton area of Surrey Feb. 9, another local family is speaking out.
Concerned parents Rob and Cindy, whose son attends school in neighbouring Langley, are worried for their own son, who is just a few years younger than Chase. (Peace Arch News is withholding the family's surname for the privacy of their son.)
Echoing calls from AustimBC advocating for change when it comes to trauma-informed care, the couple remembered the fear in their son's eyes when he learned of Chase's death, and how it occurred.
"He said, 'Mom...Dad...that could鈥檝e been me. That could be me next," Rob recalled. "I could see the fear in his eyes."
Although their son is a high-functioning autistic, he has meltdowns that used to be up to eight hours in length.
"We鈥檝e got it to the point now where we can get him down in about 20 minutes to half an hour if it鈥檚 us, so you鈥檝e gotta think of that timeline when police are dealing with a situation like that 鈥� that kid鈥檚 not going to come down for at least 20 minutes to half an hour, and that鈥檚 if he鈥檚 had a lot of help with this kind of thing his whole life," Rob noted.
"I saw the video of this poor kid, and they were doing everything the exact opposite of what you need to do with my son to calm him down, and that鈥檚 what terrified us ... they鈥檙e yelling at him, there鈥檚 multiple guys moving towards him, all that stuff 鈥� the lights, the sirens 鈥� all that stuff would trigger me, too."
Their son knows when he's in a meltdown but still can't stop himself, Rob continued.
"When he has these meltdowns, he can鈥檛 control it. He says. 'I want to stop, but I can鈥檛 control it.' It gets to that point where he鈥檚 wound up so high, he鈥檚 way up here in anxiety and stress and meltdown mode ... it鈥檚 really hard for him to come back down."
Cindy admitted there's times when even her presence doesn't help if their son is having a meltdown.
"He鈥檚 the biggest teddy bear in the world unless he鈥檚 having a meltdown. ... There鈥檚 times where I can鈥檛 even de-escalate him, and I鈥檓 his person," she said. "The cops need to know that every child is different. They need a program to help these kids."
Both parents feel there should be a program, or self-reporting registry, so police or Ministry of Children and Family Development and other organizations know what they're dealing with in a potential meltdown, or any kind of situation dealing with a person who is neurodiverse or has mental health issues.
Rob said he called Langley RCMP to see if there was some kind of self-reporting system so he could share his son's issues with police, as both parents say there have already been incidents with police in the past, but was told there isn't currently such a list or mechanism in place.
Their son's diagnosis includes fight risk, violence and flight risk, he shared, so he feels such a registry would be a way to help protect his son 鈥� and others like him.
"He's had a hard road," Cindy noted.
Both suggested perhaps a taser or bean bag gun may have been better used, if police knew it was a neurodiverse teen, and suggested training for officers to notice signs common to neurodiverse individuals, such as hand/finger clapping, or bellybutton plucking.
"We can spot it from a mile away 鈥� there鈥檚 a lot of signs you can look for," Rob said.
Peace Arch News reached out to Surrey Police Service to find out what the SPS's current policies and practices are related to trauma-informed care and what training officers currently receive.
"At this time given the (Independent Investigations Office of BC)'s investigation, which may include what the SPS鈥檚 policies/practices/training are as they relate to trauma-informed care and training with neuro-divergent people, we are unable to comment or share what SPS鈥檚 procedures and policies are," SPS senior media relations officer Staff Sgt. Lindsey Houghton said in an email.
He confirmed that Car 67 was on scene at the Feb. 9 incident, however.
"SPS is continuing the full-time Car 67 collaborative car that pairs a police officer with a Fraser Health mental health nurse. It is on the road full-time during the day and evening," he said. "That car responds to any calls it is able to involving individuals who may be having mental health challenges or are in a crisis, either from the police (e.g. 911) side or the health side. That car was at the incident on February 9, so we are unable to share specifics, as that too will likely be part of the IIO鈥檚 investigation."
Houghton added, "I don鈥檛 believe that there is a mechanism for someone to self-report a medical condition or neurodiversity to the police," but noted that if police have occasion to interact with someone, that "may be documented in the police database (e.g. PRIME), so other officers and call takers can be aware of it."
Chase, a Clayton Heights Secondary student, was killed in a confrontation with police on Feb. 9.
The confrontation happened after police responded to a report of a person with a weapon at a school in the 7000-block of 188 Street. An interaction between the teen and the police reportedly happened further away, near the intersection of 70 Avenue and 185 Street, 鈥渄uring which shots were fired by police,鈥� according to the Independent Investigations Office of BC, which investigates all officer-related incidents that result in serious harm or death.
Chase was pronounced dead at the scene.
AutismBC released a statement after Chase鈥檚 death expressing its sympathies to the family and calling for comprehensive training for emergency personnel in dealing with autistic individuals.
鈥淲e recognize that Chase鈥檚 family and friends and our community are in deep mourning, experiencing a range of emotions, including anger, confusion, and a profound need for comfort and security. We understand the fear and worry many in our community feel about whether police and emergency responders know how to interact with autistic individuals safely,鈥� the organization鈥檚 statement said.
鈥淲e strongly advocate for trauma-informed care to support our community, and this profound loss has amplified the urgency for action among our partner groups. It is crucial to emphasize understanding of disabilities affected by delayed executive functioning and auditory processing and to enhance our protection of the non-speaking community members who can be particularly at risk.鈥�
To this end, AutismBC is advocating for comprehensive education and training for all emergency medical services across sectors, the statement continued.
鈥淎dditionally, we continue to advocate for a neuroaffirmative and voluntary identification system to support autistic and non-speaking individuals,鈥� it said.
With other reports speculating on the kind of weapon Chase might have had, Jessica Berglund, chief civilian director of the IIO, said the agency has a responsibility to 鈥渁void releasing any information that could prejudice an investigation, contaminate witness memories, or unduly infringe on the privacy rights of an affected person.鈥�
A critical component of this work is ensuring that information released by IIO has been independently verified to the fullest extent possible before they confirm details publicly, she continued.
鈥淭his is particularly true in cases where a non-police weapon was involved in an incident. Identifying a particular type of weapon may be seen by some to suggest a conclusion to the issue of whether the police action was justified or not. To avoid that perception, important details like the weapon type are held back until a full and complete investigation has been conducted. In some cases, it may be important to note that a weapon was present to give the public an accurate snapshot of the incident. Where possible, the IIO does not specify the weapon type until the role it may have played in an incident has been investigated,鈥� she said.
鈥淲e appreciate the community and public鈥檚 patience while we ensure our investigation is conducted thoroughly, fairly, and to the highest standard possible.鈥�
AutismBC said it is dedicated to addressing the gaps in support for children, youth, and adults within BC鈥檚 Ministry of Education and Child Care, Ministry of Child and Family Development, Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction.
鈥淲e highlight the lack of support for bright, verbal, autistic youth with high social-emotional needs and strong cognitive skills, whose challenges are often overlooked in both the 鈥榥eeds-based鈥� funding system and the school system, especially at the high school level. We acknowledge that social isolation stemming from a lack of connection and support can exacerbate mental health issues for autistic youth. Our youth are in urgent need of wrap-around support from the above ministries,鈥� their statement said.
鈥淎t AutismBC, we emphasize the need to stay focused on advocacy, operating with hope amid tragedy. We highlight the importance of holding space for emotions while acting from a place of care for the community,鈥� the statement said, and advocated for support from all areas and agencies.
鈥淲e call for collective support in addressing the needs of the families and community impacted by this tragic loss. We urge our educational system to put support in place for students not just in Surrey but across the province, as the impact of this event is felt as a collective community. We cannot overstate the importance of trauma-informed practices and understanding disabilities. We are committed to advocating to close the funding gap for social-emotional support in schools, especially for autistic and neurodivergent youth.鈥�
Along with the IIO investigation, an independent investigation by the BC Coroners Service is also underway.
Peace Arch News reached out to BC Coroners Service, but in an email, the agency would only confirm it is investigating the incident.
鈥淗owever, because it is an open coroners investigation, I鈥檓 not able to provide any further details,鈥� the email said.
The IIO is asking that anyone who saw or who has video footage of the incident to please contact the IIO Witness Line toll-free at 1-855-446-8477 or via the contact form on the iiobc.ca website.
