this is "nightline." tonight. when confrontations with police take a turn for the worse. the results can be fatal. >> shots fired by police. >> high-tech tools to help police handle people with autism and mental illness to try to prevent tragedy. plus, rite of passage. the prom, the musical smash hit taking on homophobia and taking broadway by storm. and the real-life same-sex couples fighting to change the rules. >> it is a national issue. no matter what town you're from, the problem is there. and making bank. jay z and rihanna share more

than their hit song "umbrella." the new landmark milestones for both. tonight. but first the "nightline" five. at ikea, we believe your perfect student deserves the perfect room for the perfect price. so she can afford to feel at home even when she's miles away. and you can help her feel bright, without breaking your budget. and... who's there? a boy? you never told your dad and i about any... oh, on the bed?

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one of the most intense moments a police officer can face, confronting someone who may be a threat. but what if that person is mentally ill or has autism. the difference between knowing that information and not can mean life or death. tonight, gio benitez with a look at high-tech police training tools that may help. >> reporter: 2017 just outside of phoenix, arizona, an officer approaches a 14 year old on suspicion of drug use. the buckeye police department has called the officer an expert, but the teen is not on drugs. >> don't go anywhere. >> reporter: he has autism. and this encounter is about to take a turn for the worse. >> i'm okay. >> reporter: minutes later, the boy's aunt arrives. >> he's doing something with his hands. >> when you have autism. it's his nerves. >> reporter: the police

department is defending the actions of the officer, but the young man was allegedly left with scrapes and bruises. they institute a mandatory training program to prevent incidents like this in the future. this case is an example of an issue police departments around the country are wrestling with, how to prevent tragic interactions with those with cognitive disabilities or a mental health crisis. at least 25% of police encounters involve someone with a mental illness. >> after decades of reduced funding for mental health care communities across the country now have a significant number of people who need mental health care and can't get it. so whens they people go into crisis local police are asked to respond to the challenge. for the most part, local police

officers haven't been trained and don't have the appropriate resources. >> reporter: an officer not having that training is something lien anor worries abo lot. her son has autism, non-verbal and requires round the clock attention. when things go wrong, 911 is her only option. >> i don't have a team of 20 people to go down the list and say hey, are you in the neighborhood? >> reporter: but she knows asking for help from law enforcement could make the situation worse. >> nick does not understand verbal commands from many people. he is not going to respond the way they're going to direct him to respond. he will not stand still. he will not put his hands up, and the fear is, is that if they say halt or i'll shoot, he's not going to listen. and the outcome is that i could lose him.

>> reporter: to better prepare their officers, chicago's police department started crisis intervention training in 2004. still, there was more work to do. >> were shots fired by police? just to confirm. >> yes, they were. they were. >> reporter: in 2015, a chicago police officer shoots and kills this 15-year-old whose family says he had mental health issues. >> that was a teachable moment. when they get into mental health issues they're better able to identify it. >> reporter: the officer is fighting that determination. >> we can have you put the headsets back on. >> reporter: they are piloting a new program that uses virtual reality to train for these dell kwat cat situations. in this exercise, i'm in the shoes of an officer approaching a mental health crisis. i'm given two options for what

my character should say, can we talk? or drop it now. watch what happens when i choose drop it now, the more aggressive choice. >> drop the screwdriver now! get inside! >> reporter: the scene escalates, and my character is given a choice. taser or firearm. drawing a weapon at all only further intensifies the situation. this type of hair trigger tension could mean the difference between tragedy and a peaceful outcome. >> police officers need to understand that using the same techniques that they are trained to use with the public in general may result in a violent reaction. >> reporter: now watch what happens when i choose "can we talk". >> put that screwdriver down. >> reporter: he's much more responsive. >> so in this case, we selected can we talk. that was the right choice. >> as far as talking to him first, absolutely.

you want to start jury initial assessment. >> we can calm the situation down and engage with that person productively. >> reporter: the program also puts officers in the shoes of the suspect who might be hearing voices in his head. >> who sent you here? are you working for them? >> reporter: in another scene we're shown how turning the lights and radio off can make a big difference for someone with autism. >> turn the lights off and the radio down. >> they're experiencing lights and sounds in ways that you are not. so we want to keep the officers aware. that person's experiencing something else. what may work for one individual may not work here. >> reporter: chicago police say the vr program has allowed them to bring officers up to speed quickly, overcoming one of the obstacles they face in retraining their forces. >> in a perfect world every front line law enforcement

officer would receive training on how to deal with individuals who are in the midst of a mental health crisis or developmentally disabled. it required money and time. >> reporter: here in this long island, new york emergency call center, first responders are using another new technology to reduce tragic outcomes. a free app called smart 911. >> regular phone lines come up with the black icon and telephone where the smart profiles will pop with a green indicator. so it's giving the telecommunication operator a visual look instantly. >> reporter: smart 911 allows users to enter personalized information about their family, including medical conditions, photographs and special conditions for accessing the home. >> it allows us to create a profile of information that you are choosing to share in a secure, encrypted fashion that travels with you throughout the entire country.

>> reporter: joel vetter says he pushed his county to use the system. >> smart 911 provides for me to have more of a solid sleep knowing that my family, my home and my community is protected with the application. >> reporter: it turns out, lanor lives in the county where he has helped implement masmart 911. so she's signing up. >> the sooner we get her enrolled the sooner we can benefit from it. >> reporter: she says she feels like for the most part she can keep her son nick safe at home. >> we've called 911 on a number of occasions over the last 20 years. they have been amazing in their response to the home. they've been here often enough they kind of know nick. >> reporter: but she says she

fears what could happen when nick leaves the house. >> something happens to me, he's unsupported. someone's going to call 911, there's an accident. but they don't know him. i can't advocate for him. why is that guy fleeing the scene. did he do something? stop or we'll shoot. that's when you wake up cold in a nightmare, because i know he can't stop. >> reporter: with this new service, lanor's information will come up and alert first responders to his needs if she has to call using smart 911. >> if there were a way we were out and they would have information on him, game changer, game changer. that would help me sleep at night. >> reporter: for "nightline," gio benitez in chicago. and up next, the musical smash on broadway, trying to change the world by breaking down homophobic taboos, and real-life same-sex prom couples. we call it the mother standard of care.

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and now to the broadway spotlight now shining on the real-life pain of same-sex teens, denied a rite of passage, the high school prom. linsey davis with some of those young couples on the emotional front lines fighting for justice. ♪ >> reporter: on its face, broadway's new show "the prom" has all the high kicks and jazz hands you'd expect from a

musical comedy. only amid all the twirls there's an unexpected twist in a show now nominated for seven tony awards. >> we thought this was a frothy comedy with maybe a little political message, but it's turned into such an overwhelming thing for these kids that really need some courage. ♪ i just want to dance with you ♪ >> reporter: at the heart of it all, a fictional story about a girl named emma, a high school lesbian whose prom is canceled because she wants to bring her girlfriend as a date and is faced with backlash and hate. >> reporter: your character's story is one that so many young people deal with every day in real life. >> yes. >> reporter: how do you put yourself into their shoes? ? she is based on real individuals and real people who have gone through this. it's incredible for so many reasons that this story is being told, because kids still go through this every day. they're being expelled. they're being hated and shunned

in their communities every single year. and that's insane to me. >> reporter: it's an all-too-familiar story line, a tale of discrimination faced by gay couples trying to carry out the school tradition of going to the prom but a same-sex date. >> that's like reading articles of gay teens unable to go to their proms and it feels wrong. >> reporter: chad beglund wrote the lyrics. tell us about your experience going to the prom, if i can put you on the spot. >> i would never in a million years even consider taking a guy to the prom. that was unthinkable. i know what it's like to be bullied because you're gay and the fear of walking down those hallways. >> reporter: were you out in high school? >> no. no. i was, again, talk about fear. and so that's, that's sort of the wonderful thing i think about this show, because i wasn't as brave as the characters are in the show. >> reporter: they say quite often the audience members

aren't just looking for signatures but wanting or in some cases needing to say thank you and share their own personal stories that play out far from the bright lights of broadway. >> there was a young girl, probably high school aged girl who she said my mother's standing behind me, and she doesn't know that i'm lesbian but i just want to say thank you. and her eyes were filled with tears and it took my breath away. >> reporter: as actors, we feel the transformative power of this story in an audience. >> yes. >> reporter: the macy's day parade, while more than 23 million viewers watched the cast closed out the performance with the first same-sex kiss in the parade's history. while many lauded the move, others pounced. conservative group for america tweeted millions of small children just watched two girls kiss and had their innocence broken this morning. but macy's stood by the

decision, a representative releasing this statement. at macy's, we are guided by our corporate values of acceptance, respect, integrity and giving back. was the kiss very deliberate to get a reaction out of sneak people? >> as a kid watching it, that is huge. i knew it was going to change people's lives. >> reporter: now as we find ourselves in the midst of prom season and pride month, it is visible at some schools. in march, a mississippi high school made waves after mandating that students and parents sign paperwork ensuring that their prom date would be of the opposite sex. >> it's offensive to us. >> reporter: in 2013, this indiana group of parents and teacher fought for a separate, traditional prom. >> what the bible says, it is wrong. we love the homosexuals, but we

do not condone what they're doing. >> reporter: for so many high school girls, prom is what dreams are made of. and nicole and her girlfriend olivia are no exception. >> prom was so much more than i expected. >> and just being able to be completely open with her as my girlfriend, dancing with her, kissing her. >> i think our friends and our community and our school supporting us, showing us so much love was crazier than we ever expected it to be. >> reporter: in their west chester community, a suburb outside philadelphia they both wanted to be joint prom queens and dance with each other, something that wasn't allowed. >> in the beginning of the year i was looking at different scholarships and i came across do something.org and i saw take back the prom. >> reporter: they created the campaign to highlight discrimination and get students involved. nicole shared her story and she and olivia met with their principal and got the rules

changed. >> trying to create change was a little scary. we want to make our school more progressive. >> reporter: the girls got nominated to the prom court. but for all the fun they had both agree that prom is much more than just a school dance. >> i think prom is such an experience in a teenager's life. it's like a social and political event. there are a lot of people who had experiences with prom so they don't feel they can be who they are because they're afraid of how someone else is going to react to be that. >> reporter: they say they are thrilled to be heard and seen on a stage as impactful as broadway. >> when i heard there was a musical about a lesbian couple going to prom i was super excited. >> it is a national issue. no matter what town or community you live in, the problem is there. >> reporter: changing hearts and minds sntsd often the hope of a broadway show. ♪ before i met you >> reporter: the one goal here is that beyond the toe-tapping

memorable melodies the entertainment might just also inspire. >> i hope people come see the show and maybe rethink how they treated somebody and just be a little more accepting and understanding and just listen. listen to people who aren't exactly like you. >> reporter: for "nightline," linsey davis in new york. and up next, the new milestone for the team behind the mega hit "umbrella." ♪ met it rain ♪ comin' down she's doing it again. (vo) no cover up spray here... it's the irresistibly fresh scent of febreze air effects. cheaper aerosols can cover up odors, burying the smell in a flowery fog. switch to febreze air effects! febreze eliminates even the toughest odors from the air. and it uses an all-natural propellant to leave behind a pleasant scent you'll love. use anywhere odors can spread. freshen up, don't cover up. febreze air effects.

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and finally tonight, hitting a financial high note. ♪ little miss sunshine >> the duo behind the hit "umbrella", makin' it rain. forbes calling jay z the first hip-hop artist to hit a fortune thanks to businesses like uber and rihanna, her designer beauty brand fenty breaking records of its own, to become the wealthiest female artist in music to the tune of $600

million. caching caching. you can always catch our full episodes on hulu. good night, everybody.

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