ALEC (Autism and Law Enforcement Education Coalition)

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ALEC began in 2003 as a collaborative effort of the The Arc of South Norfolk Family Autism Center and the Norfolk County District Attorney's Office.  The program was started with start-up funds from Dedham Savings Bank in Dedham, MA.  ALEC training helps foster a deeper understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) among public safety and law enforcement personnel.  

  • Training is available for police officers, firefighters and emergency and courtroom personnel, using curriculum and videos specific to each group.  Basic EMTs, intermediate EMTs and paramedics earn 3 OEMS hours (continuing education hours) for ALEC training.

  • Presenters are First Responders with direct knowledge of Autism Spectrum Disorders through a family member. The audience hears from a colleague with personal knowledge and an extraordinary investment in the program.  The goal of ALEC training is to complement but not replace previous training and to provide additional tools to use in assessing the risk of a situation.

ASD is now believed to occur in one out of every 88 births. It touches nearly everyone’s life at some point. Make certain that you and your organization have the knowledge that you need to protect and communicate with people with ASD. To find out more about ALEC, contact Bill Cannata at BCannata@arcsouthnorfolk.org or at 781-762-4001 ext. 420 or visit our Facebook page.  

Bill is a Captain in the Westwood MA Fire Department and is the Statewide ALEC Coordinator. The ALEC Project is supported in part with funding from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Autism Spectrum Division.

Click here to get a copy of the ALEC brochure. 
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Click here to see ALEC on The Today Show!

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On March 1, 2012, Captain Bill Cannata was featured on The Today Show for all of his hard work with The ALEC Program.