08/31/2026
This is awesome!!! 🚒🚓🚨
A simple misunderstanding during a police encounter can become stressful very quickly — especially when an officer may not realize that the person they are speaking with is autistic.
That is why 26-year-old Alex Mann, who is autistic himself, has spent more than seven years visiting police departments and talking with officers about autism.
Alex began visiting law-enforcement agencies in 2018. Over time, what started as local outreach grew into a much larger effort. By August 2026, he had visited 539 police departments across five states, sharing practical information along with his own personal experiences.
During these visits, Alex explains that autism can affect communication and behavior in different ways. Some autistic people may avoid eye contact, make repetitive movements, speak very little, or need extra time to understand a question or instruction. Others may become overwhelmed by bright lights, loud noises, sirens, or several people talking at once.
Because of that, a person who does not immediately respond to a command such as “stop” may not necessarily be trying to ignore an officer. They may simply need a few extra moments to process what they heard.
Alex encourages officers to stay calm when possible, speak clearly, use simple instructions, and allow a little extra time for a response. He also reminds them that autism looks different from person to person, so there is no single behavior that applies to everyone.
His visits are not only educational. Alex often brings sensory toys and informational handouts, and he has built personal connections with many of the departments he visits. He gives officers patches and often receives department patches in return, creating a growing collection that represents the people he has met along the way.
His advocacy has also helped bring attention to tools designed to make police interactions easier for autistic people. Pennsylvania State Police introduced informational autism cards that people can carry or save on their phones. The cards can alert officers that the person may have communication or sensory difficulties and may benefit from calm, simple communication.
For Alex, the goal has remained the same from the beginning: help officers better understand autism so that stressful encounters can be handled with more patience, clearer communication, and greater awareness.
One department at a time, his work is helping create more understanding between autistic people and law enforcement — and that understanding can make a difficult moment safer for everyone.
