SAN ANTONIO — A group in San Antonio has taken action to make sure people who suffer from mental disabilities are treated with respect and care.

It’s estimated that nationally, 1-3% of the population has IDD (intellectual developmental disorder). Anywhere from 20,000 to 61,000 people here in Bexar County have IDD. That’s why Alamo Area Council Of Governments, also known as AACOG, said it’s important for law enforcement officers to understand that everyone can be treated the same.

Rodney Rangel, autism and special needs liaison with the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, wears his uniform proudly. If you look closely, you’ll notice something on his sleeve that holds a special meaning to him. It’s a patch with the puzzle piece logo for autism.

“Individuals that are diagnosed with autism, I believe is 1 in 49. It’s not like back in the day when it was 1 in 1,000,” said Rangel.

People, he said, are too often misunderstood, even by police officers.

“What I tell them is it is very difficult to identify somebody with autism. In our profession, it is very difficult to see those identifiers,” said Rangel. “I try to get them to understand the interactions between both. That way we can prevent certain situations that have occurred in other states."

He’s leading the training driven by AACOG to show officers how to interact with people on the spectrum. Officers get to know vulnerable members of the community. Members like one close to his heart.

“I have a son that’s on the autism spectrum. I do think about my son all the time when it comes to individuals like that because I take care of him every single day. I understand the difficulties being a father of somebody on the autism spectrum” said Rangel.

Jeremy Weaver is a part of the IDD community. He wanted to learn more by meeting the officers first hand, even learning what to tell them if he were to be stopped.

“I have mental illness. I take medication for a lot of things. I’m IDD. I live in a group home, but I’m working towards getting my own place,” said Weaver.

He was able to sit in a patrol car to help him be less afraid of those in uniform.

“When I first found out my son was on the autism spectrum, I didn’t know what autism was. I bought books,” said Rangel.

His son’s picture now has a permanent place on the flyers he hands out daily.