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Parkinson's and the Police Periodically, stories surface about Parkinson's symptoms arousing the suspicions of police, leading to harassment and humiliation for someone whose sole offense is being unable to be still or walk a straight line. Such an incident occurred recently in Ashland, OH, where Bob Kendall went out for a late night walk. Officers stopped him, believing he was intoxicated, and then took issue with his constant moving. The episode ended with Mr. Kendall on the ground and handcuffed. He was released only when another officer recognized him and explained that he has Parkinson's. People with Parkinson's (and everyone else) deserve to be treated with understanding and respect. Realistically, though, there will always be ignorant people and bullies in the world, and some of them will wear badges. So, what to do? A Google search led me to Flex Your Rights, a not-for-profit whose mission is "teaching people to understand, appreciate, and assert their constitutional rights during police encounters." I asked Associate Director Scott Morgan if he had any advice for those of us whose movement disorders make us noticeable and vulnerable to police. He wrote: There's nothing worse than being hassled due to a medical condition. I would hope that informing police of one's condition would usually diffuse most situations. The gentleman was walking around late at night, which is fine, but may have contributed to the perception that he was intoxicated. Folks that are out and about after dark should be mindful of the potential for misunderstandings and be prepared to explain their situation if necessary in as calm a manner as possible. It's easy to become frustrated with officers, but it doesn't help, even when it's totally justified. Police approach you with the assumption that you're a troublemaker and, unfortunately, it's up to the suspect to demonstrate otherwise. If anyone is treated disrespectfully, I would recommend filing a complaint and publicizing any mistreatment that occurs. These types of incidents may help to educate police about dealing professionally with Parkinson's sufferers. Given Scott's advice and Bob Kendall's experience, I plan to make up a Parkinson's ID-a simple card that states my name, says I have Parkinson's, and lists my contact person, physician, meds, and allergies. (I've found vistaprint.com to be a good source for cards.) I'll keep a card or two in my wallet with my license and stash some by the driver's seat in my car. Then I can just hand an officer a card without speaking, a good thing because a) I might be too nervous to speak, and b) the less said the better, as you will see if you spend some time at Flex Your Rights. Check out their Street Stop Scenarios, as well as their video, which I found to be eye-opening. The examples in the video are mainly geared for young people, but the principles apply to all. Everyone should spend some time with these resources. Pass them on. If I do have the misfortune to be mistreated by police, I'll turn to the internet to get the letters, calls, and e-mails flowing. Bob Kendall did, and police, city officials, and the local paper were flooded with letters and emails protesting his treatment. He performed a valuable public service and got a bit of his own back, too. photo from dwightsghost on flickr.com Posted by Kathleen at 3:00 PM 1 comments Links to this post Labels: civil rights, Parkinson's Rayilyn Brown Director AZNPF Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation [log in to unmask] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn