For Illyse Levine-Kanji, an executive committee member of the Advocates for Autism of Massachusetts, the Blue Envelope Program is a “game changer” for those within the autism community.
“People are just extremely, extremely grateful that this program exists,” Levine-Kanji said in a phone interview with Reminder Publishing.
The program Levine-Kanji is referring to involves a recent partnership officially unveiled by the Healey-Driscoll administration during National Autism Acceptance Month in April between the Massachusetts State Police, the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, Advocates for Autism of Massachusetts, The Arc of Massachusetts, and individuals with autism and their families.
In a nutshell, the voluntary program provides individuals on the autism spectrum with specifically designed blue envelopes that carries their driver’s license, contact card and registration.
Additionally, the envelope features information on its exterior that identifies the operator as a person with autism spectrum disorder, provides instructions for a police officer on how to enhance communication with the driver, and how to reduce anxiety and stress the driver may be experiencing as a result of being stopped or involved in an incident.
“The Blue Envelope Program allows our officers to understand immediately who they are dealing with and adjust and recalibrate their approach to that situation based on the information [in the envelope],” said Eric Gillis, the Agawam police chief and president of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association. “It’s a program that’s been long needed.”
According to the state website, people can pick up a blue envelope at one of the state police barracks or complete an online form to have an envelope mailed. They can also visit their local police department to pick one up if their department is participating in the program.
In an interview with Reminder Publishing, Gillis said that spreading the word about the program has been a centerpiece of recent Chiefs of Police Association meetings and the organization has also worked with other regional associations in the state to spread the word.
“Everybody’s embraced it strongly,” Gillis said.
That sentiment is seemingly reflected in the information that Kevin Baker, a detective lieutenant with the Massachusetts State Police, provided to Reminder Publishing about the program so far.
Baker said that around 12,000 blue envelopes have been distributed across the state, as of press time. Around 5,000 of those, according to Baker, were dispensed across the commonwealth within the first 30 days of the program’s existence.
“By all metrics, this program has exceeded our expectations,” Baker said. “I think the public and police officers in particular have recognized that this is a net positive for the community.”
Baker, Gillis and Levine-Kanji all expressed enthusiasm for the program’s partnership so far. Levine-Kanji said that AFAM helped state police with the design and format of the blue envelope.
“With [AFAM’s] input, we made some positive changes, particularly with how we framed some of the directions of the envelope,” Baker said. “We tried to provide the information that we thought was most helpful.”
Baker said that the unveiling of this program has led other states, like Vermont for example, to think about developing their own program. He also added that Massachusetts State Police relied heavily on programs that already existed in California and Connecticut to design their own one.
“We tried our best to draw from their experiences as well,” he said.
In Baker’s eyes, the program alleviates some of the fear that many parents with neurodiverse children have when a traffic stop with law enforcement occurs.
“It’s our hope that this program will help officers display empathy for a situation and make decisions that are appropriate based on the circumstances of the stop, instead of maybe making decisions with less information,” Baker said. “And our other hope is that this puts the motorist more at ease.”
Levine-Kanji said that she knows several autistic drivers who have received their blue envelopes already, and they are “proud” and “excited” to have one.
“They feel like they’re finally being seen and appreciated by law enforcement,” Levine-Kanji said. “And then parents with adult children who have gotten blue envelopes feel a sense of relief about something they may not have contemplated before receiving the envelope.”
Levine-Kanji said she herself has a 25-year-old son with autism, and although he is an “excellent” and “safe driver,” she shared that he does not have the physical characteristics that would alert an officer that he has autism, so she worries he would act extremely anxious and upset if stopped by police.
She said the program has helped her think about those issues that she never thought about before.
“It’s been heartwarming for me to know that specific law enforcement organizations, and also a lot of local police chiefs are on board for this project,” Levine-Kanji said.
Local impact so far
Because the program is only in its first couple months of existence, there is very little tangible data that showcases its impact so far.
That being said, local police departments in Western Massachusetts, including the Belchertown and Chicopee police departments, have already embraced the program.
The Belchertown Police Department announced its participation in the program on its Instagram in late April, saying that any resident interested in utilizing the envelope can visit the Belchertown Police Station or call at 413-323-6685.
“Belchertown’s involvement in the Blue Envelope Program shows our commitment to enhancing public safety, fostering inclusivity and recognizing the diverse needs of our residents,” said Belchertown Police Chief Kevin Pacunas.
Pacunas told Reminder Publishing that the program has so far been well-received and “many people” have visited the police station lobby to grab an envelope. He did not provide an exact number for how many people have obtained one, but he did say that he does not believe that any officer has been presented with a blue envelope during a traffic stop since the program’s introduction.
“The BE [Blue Envelope] Program enhances communication between law enforcement officers and individuals with autism, prevents escalation and will help us to build trust within our community,” Pacunas said. “We will continue utilizing this program for the foreseeable future.”
Travis Odiorne, the public information officer for the Chicopee Police Department, told Reminder Publishing through email that envelopes have been placed into cruisers.
When Reminder Publishing interviewed Odiorne about the program in April, he said the police department had 50 envelopes available and added that the department does a lot of training to prepare for possible interactions with those who have autism.
He noted that the envelope will help mitigate some anxiety the driver may have while also better informing the officer about the driver’s situation.
“The officers will now recognize the envelope and say, ‘OK I’m dealing with someone who may have an autistic disorder’ and it kind of gives us a better understanding of the why the person is overly nervous or why they can’t find something or why they are acting differently,” Odiorne said.
Gillis, meanwhile, said police officers in Agawam “are very much aware” of the program and the department currently carries the envelopes.
“Anyone interested in the envelope can go to the police department and get one,” Gillis said.
Bill update and what’s next
Aside from this program that is currently available, there is also a Blue Envelope bill that is making its way through the state bureaucratic process. Filed by state Sen. Jo Comerford (D-Northampton) and sponsored by many legislators across the state, the bill, also known as “An Act facilitating better interactions between police officers and persons with autism spectrum disorder,” would mandate the adoption of the program by all law enforcement agencies operating in the state.
The bill passed the state Senate in January and is currently sitting in the House Committee on Ways and Means waiting for approval from the House.
Comerford told Reminder Publishing in January that her constituents helped galvanize the bill.
“This was an idea directly brought from my constituents … and it was both from young adults who were hoping to drive or have begun driving who were living with autism spectrum disorder, or their caregivers, their parents, grandparents from the district talking about the need for some way for themselves or their kids to signal that they had autism, that they were neurodiverse and potentially didn’t communicate or react or respond in the same way to a crisis or a traffic stop,” Comerford told Reminder Publishing.
Levine-Kanji said AFAM has led a grassroots push over the past several months to get people interested in this bill.
“We’re really hoping the House passes the bill because it is important to ensure that this program continues,” Levine-Kanji said.
On top of those efforts, she also said that AFAM is working on different ways to get additional autism training for officers.
She said last session, AFAM was able to help pass a police autism training bill for new recruits, and now, she is hoping another bill will pass that establishes an in-service training curriculum “for the training of law enforcement officers and correction officers in appropriate interactions with persons on the autism spectrum and persons with other intellectual and developmental disabilities.”
Currently, the latter bill is sitting in the Senate Committee on Ways and Means.
“It would be much better if we had more in-depth training for officers about how to interact with people who have autism,” Levine-Kanji said.
While that all gets sorted out, the goal of advocates and police officers is to continue to get the word out about the current Blue Envelope Program that became available in April.
“The more attention we can draw to the program, the better,” Baker said. “If we can make operators understand that law enforcement is looking to have positive interactions with neurodiverse populations, then I think it’s a net positive for everyone.”
