More US police stations adopt the Blue Envelope Program for disabled drivers

The Blue Envelope Program is designed to enhance safety during traffic stops for anyone on the spectrum. Photo: Instagram/Gilbertpolice

An increasing number of police departments in central Maine, the United States are adopting a programme that aims to create safety and awareness for drivers with developmental, mental and behavioural disorders during police interactions.

The Blue Envelope Program (BEP) works to address the unique communication challenges faced by those with autism, dementia, anxiety and other behavioural disorders when interacting with police.

The initiative provides people with a blue envelope to hold their driver’s license, registration, insurance and information about their disability.

A blue envelope helps drivers with disabilities communicate their needs to police officers during traffic stops. Photo: Instagram/ThinkculavistaBEP was developed to foster better relationships between law enforcement and people with special needs of all sorts, according to Erica Koch, co-founder of the Down Syndrome Advocacy Project (DSAP) of Maine.

Police interactions can cause anxiety, stress and panic for many people with mental, behavioural and developmental disabilities. This can often result in poor communication or misunderstandings with officers, Koch said.

“It could be a lot of things, whether you have post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety or a brain injury. It just gives the officer a bit more information about the situation they’re stepping into.”

Each envelope includes suggestions for drivers while interacting with law enforcement during a traffic stop, such as keeping your hands on the steering wheel, moving slowly and informing officers that you are a part of the BEP. Instructions for law enforcement are on the front of the envelope, instructing police to speak clearly and be mindful of things that can spark anxiety in those with special needs, such as bright flashing lights and loud noises. BEP has seen widespread adoption this year in Maine.

More than 30 of the state’s law enforcement agencies have joined the initiative in just a few months, including the Maine State Police and Kennebec County Sheriff’s Office in Augusta, Maine.

The blue envelope assists people on the spectrum if they are stopped while driving. Photo: Instagram/Lincolnpark_police_njThe Augusta Police Department became the latest central Maine agency to implement the BEP.

It is beneficial for both drivers with disabilities and police officers and aims to foster more understanding between them, Augusta Police Department’s Patrol Sgt. Anthony Drouin said.

“It’s just to remind the officer in the moment there may be something else going on and why this person may not be communicating the way they expect them to,” Drouin said.

Since first enrolling in the BEP just weeks ago, Drouin said Augusta officers had given out well over a dozen blue envelopes so far. Some are given to residents of communities that have yet to adopt the programme for people with special needs.The Maine DSAP has provided thousands of envelopes to police departments and drivers throughout the state since it began advocating for the project in May.

The DSAP funds the BEP and all of its work through a mixture of government grants and small-dollar individual donations, Koch said.

Many of the BEP’s first participants were special needs drivers themselves, not police departments, she said. It wasn’t until recently that word began to spread between departments about this special initiative. “We did the initial run of 500 envelopes, expecting maybe to get individual interest from people, but we’ve just had such great outreach from (police) departments,” she said.The organisation is pushing for more law enforcement agencies across the state to take part in the initiative, which is entirely voluntary and self-implemented for the departments enrolled in it. – Morning Sentinel/Tribune News Service