Mesa Police Department recently became the first police department to earn the Certified Autism Center™ (CAC) designation. The designation, granted by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES), requires officers to complete training and commit to ongoing programs to better equip officers to better understand and communicate with autistic individuals or those with sensory sensitivities when encountering them in the community.

Mesa Police Department joins more than 60 organizations in and near Mesa, AZ, to become a Certified Autism Center™ (CAC) in an effort to create a truly inclusive community. As part of this initiative toward inclusion for residents and visitors with autism and other sensory disorders, Visit Mesa gathered community support from the city and local officials, private businesses, and other partners to achieve the IBCCES designation of the first-ever Autism Certified City by IBCCES.

For more than 20 years, IBCCES has been the industry leader in cognitive disorder training and certification for education, healthcare, and corporate professionals around the globe. IBCCES provides evidence-based training and certification programs created in conjunction with clinical experts and individuals with autism in order to provide professionals serving individuals with cognitive disorders a better understanding of what these disorders are, industry best practices, varied perspectives, and the latest research in these areas.

IBCCES also created CertifiedAutismCenter.com, as a free online resource for parents that lists certified locations and professionals. Each organization listed on the site has met Certified Autism Center™ (CAC) requirements.