Commonly Asked Questions About the Americans with Disabilities Act and Law Enforcement

7. Q: What procedures should law enforcement officers follow to arrest and transport a person who uses a wheelchair?

A: Standard transport practices may be dangerous for many people with mobility disabilities. Officers should use caution not to harm an individual or damage his or her wheelchair. The best approach is to ask the person what type of transportation he or she can use, and how to lift or assist him or her in transferring into and out of the vehicle.

Example: An individual with a disability is removed from his wheelchair and placed on a bench in a paddy wagon. He is precariously strapped to the bench with his own belt. When the vehicle begins to move, he falls off of the bench and is thrown to the floor of the vehicle where he remains until arriving at the station.

• Some individuals who use assistive devices like crutches, braces, or even manual wheelchairs might be safely transported in patrol cars.

• Safe transport of other individuals who use manual or power wheelchairs might require departments to make minor modifications to existing cars or vans, or to use lift-equipped vans or buses. Police departments may consider other community resources, e.g., accessible taxi services.