Blue Envelope Program
What Is It?
Traffic stops and other encounters with law enforcement can sometime feel stressful or overwhelming. The Blue Envelope helps create safer, clearer, and more positive interactions by giving officers important information right away.
Why Is It Important?
The Blue Envelope Program helps vehicle drivers who have conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), communications challenges, dementia, anxiety or other conditions that might impair their ability to communicate easily during a traffic stop, car accident or other on-the-road interactions with police officers.
The program raises awareness among police/ first responders regarding a driver’s reactions during a traffic stop and provides them with an immediate signal that a driver may have unique communication needs.
The exterior of the Blue Envelope indicates whether the driver is verbal or non-verbal and instructs the driver to inform a police officer that they have a Blue Envelope when the officer approaches the vehicle.
Instructions for the driver:
– Keep your hands on the steering wheel unless otherwise directed
– The officer may shine a flashlight in your car
– When asked for your vehicle/driver documents, hand the officer this envelope
Information for the police officer:
– Driver may show signs of anxiety due to bright lights and noises
– Driver may have difficulty communicating and may not maintain eye contact
– Clearly tell the driver when the stop is over and that they can leave
Currently, six counties in Pennsylvania use The Blue Envelope Program. This includes Chester, Montgomery, Bucks, Lehigh, Northampton and Tioga. Adopting the Blue Envelope Program in all 67 Pennsylvania counties can be easily achieved. Contact your local police office and state legislator and ask them to provide this resource for your county