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The Philadelphia Sheriff's Office Becomes a Certified Autism Center™, Enhancing Services for the Community

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A uniformed officer from the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office shakes hands with a young student in a classroom, surrounded by children and adults, with the IBCCES Certified Autism Center™ and Philadelphia Sheriff's Office badges displayed.

A community safety officer engages with a citizen amidst a bustling urban scene with police officers and pedestrians in the background.

A group of people stands in front of a tent witA community safety officer engages with a citizen amidst a bustling urban scene with police officers and pedestrians in the background a sign announcing a free food and produce giveaway event.

The Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office is the first and only law enforcement agency in Pennsylvania to receive autism training & certification from IBCCES

Residents must know that law enforcement is taking measures to learn more about autism and neurodiversity.”
— Sheriff Rochelle Bilal

PHILADELPHIA, PA, UNITED STATES, February 3, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) proudly awards the Certified Autism Center™ (CAC) designation to the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office. To earn this designation, at least 80% of community-facing officers and other personnel completed a position-specific autism training process. The certification includes scenario-based training designed to equip the department with essential skills for effectively understanding, communicating with, and assisting autistic and sensory-sensitive individuals.

The Philadelphia Sheriff's Office is the first and only law enforcement agency in Pennsylvania to receive autism training & certification from IBCCES, enhancing services for the community.

Under the Bilal Administration, the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office has been committed to the needs of the autism community. In April 2023, the sheriff’s office announced the no-cost Autism Decal Program. This program will alert emergency responders that a person with autism is in the home or vehicle, enabling the sheriff’s office deputies to draw on their autism training. This training informs law enforcement that someone in the house or vehicle may not speak, respond to, or comply with verbal commands and may not be aware of the danger.

The autism decals are free to anyone in Philadelphia, but only those registered with the Office of the Sheriff. The office recommends placing them near the front door of a home or in the rear window of a vehicle to ensure that law enforcement officers know an occupant has autism. This is part of their continued comprehensive training and response program, which is grounded in assisting residents with their needs.

“I’m encouraged by the 320 Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office sworn and civilian employees completing their training for this certification. Residents must know that law enforcement is taking measures to learn more about autism and neurodiversity. When we first launched the Autism Decal program in 2023, it was only the beginning of assisting residents’ inclusivity,” says Sheriff Rochelle Bilal.

“This certification is a testament to the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office’s dedication to prioritizing safety for every individual, especially for those who are autistic or sensory-sensitive,” says Myron Pincomb, IBCCES board chairman. “IBCCES is proud to award them with the Certified Autism Center™ credential, highlighting their ongoing commitment to enhancing accessibility throughout their community.”

Since 2001, IBCCES has been the leader in autism, neurodiversity, and cognitive disorder training and certification for healthcare, education, and corporate professionals around the globe. IBCCES created specialized programs so that staff in various industries would be more knowledgeable and that other accommodations could be offered to this growing but underserved part of the community. IBCCES is the only credentialing board offering these types of programs, which include training from subject matter experts and autistic self-advocates, as well as long-term support, continuous learning, and more.

IBCCES also created CertifiedAutismCenter.com, a free online resource for families seeking certified locations and professionals. Organizations listed on the site have met the criteria to be recognized as a Certified Autism Center™ (CAC).


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Press Conference:
Date: Tuesday, February 18, 2025
Time: 10:30 am – 11:15 am
Location: Mayor's Reception Room, Floor 2, 1400 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19107
Attendees: Sheriff Rochelle Bilal, Darryl B. Roberts, Assistant Director of Community Outreach for the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office, Jamison Rogers, Chief of Staff for the Office of the Sheriff, Sheriff Deputies, a Representative from IBCCES (video), and more to be announced.

For those unable to attend, the live stream will be available at: https://www.facebook.com/philasheriff

Upcoming Community Event:
3rd Annual National Autism Awareness
Date: Saturday, April 19, 2025
Time: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Location: Salvation Army – Kroc Center of Philadelphia, 4200 Wissahickon Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19129


About the Philadelphia Sheriff's Office
The Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office wants to ensure that Philadelphia residents can remain in their homes, which is why it supports programs that help residents learn more about available resources. Philadelphia residents must contact the Sheriff’s Office if they believe they have been illegally evicted by someone who was impersonating a Deputy Sheriff. The Sheriff’s Office will also continue to host food giveaways and other related activities to respond to the needs of all residents. If there are any questions that a resident may have, they can reach out to the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office at 215-686-3560 or 215-686-3542 or our website, phillysheriff.com

About IBCCES
Delivering the global standard for training and certification in the fields of autism, neurodiversity, and accessibility – IBCCES provides a series of certification programs that empower professionals to be leaders in their field and improve the outcomes for the individuals they serve. For over two decades, IBCCES has been a global leader, setting the industry standard in autism and cognitive differences training. IBCCES works in over 111 countries and provides training in 8 languages, and its programs have been recognized around the world as the leading benchmark in training and certification.

In addition to individual certification programs, IBCCES partners with cities, destinations, and organizations on initiatives like the Certified Autism Destination™ (CAD) and Autism Certified City™ (ACC), ensuring autistic and sensory-sensitive residents and visitors feel welcomed and safe. Destinations that achieve the CAD designation have completed a specialized program that ensures a multitude of recreation, hospitality and entertainment organizations have completed an autism and sensory-sensitivity training, certification and IBCCES facilities review process. The ACC designation expands on that program and includes IBCCES training and certification for the public safety, education, healthcare and workplace sectors.

IBCCES also created the Accessibility App, AutismTravel.com, and CertifiedAutismCenter.com – free resources for individuals with a variety of neurodiversities and disabilities, listing certified locations and connecting individuals to other resources and each other.

Meredith Tekin
IBCCES
+1 904-508-0135
marketing@ibcces.org
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