Heritage Behavioral Services Blog

Fredrick Brennan on his Motorized Wheelchair When the detectives arrived at Fredrick Brennan’s apartment in Brooklyn in January 2014, it was not to question him about the theft or show him pictures of suspects or return the money stolen from him. That had all been taken care of already. The detectives brought Mr. Brennan something else: a hot pizza. And, another time, Chinese takeout. A sweatshirt that read “N.Y.P.D.” And some elbow grease, as three detectives put together a new entertainment center for his flat-screen television. These gestures were a mea culpa from the squad that handled a case involving Mr. Brennan, who was 19 when a man stole his wallet from his lap in the Port Authority Bus Terminal on Jan. 1. Mr. Brennan is severely disabled, born with osteogenesis imperfecta, or brittle bone disease, and spends all day in a motorized wheelchair, his tiny legs curled beneath him. He moved to Brooklyn in August.Four months later, on New Year’s Day, he was returning fro

Commission to create recommendations for policy, training..... Ethan Saylor: Down Syndrome Maryland law enforcement workers need more guidance in dealing with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, according to a commission formed after a man with Down syndrome died in a struggle with Frederick County sheriff's deputies.     Gov. Martin O'Malley created the Commission for Effective Community Inclusion of Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in September after Robert "Ethan" Saylor, 26, died Jan. 12 when deputies attempted to remove him from a Frederick movie theater. "Current training of law enforcement personnel in Maryland on how best to interact with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities is not offered in every jurisdiction and what is provided is inconsistent and not comprehensive," the commission wrote in a progress report released Thursday. The commission also