A NEW envelope law to help cops and certain drivers on the roads may soon be in place, though critics have already raised concerns.
Eligible drivers will be able to issue blue envelopes to cops when at a traffic stop or during other interactions with law enforcement.
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The new law being proposed in California is already in place in a number of US cities.
Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh hopes the move will aid Californians with disabilities who may struggle to be understood or have aspects of their condition respected by law enforcement.
Under the law in other states, drivers with disabilities are able to pick up a special blue envelope for free which contains all relevant vehicle information and details about their condition.
They can then hand this to officers during a traffic stop who will then know to be patient and perhaps give them more knowledge about how to put the driver more at ease.
“It provides preparation and awareness on the public safety side of it but also accommodates and eases the fear and the panic that our constituents with disabilities may have,” Ochoa Bogh said.
“It deescalates the potential of police stops in our state.”
She highlighted that a condition that causes tremors could be misunderstood as a sign of guilt or nerves by an unknowing officer.
She added that others who have physical disabilities may take longer than expected to get out of a vehicle or those with limited processing and verbal abilities could take longer to answer a question.
Under the Senator’s bill, the DMV would print and hand out the envelopes containing safety and communication advice for officers and drivers.
There would also be spaces on the documents for drivers to fill out their needs, what kind of support they would need, and emergency contact information.
The blue envelopes would not be handed out automatically, instead drivers who wish to have one would be able to request it.
Drivers with disabilities will not be forced to participate if they do not want to disclose their conditions.
The blue envelope program was rolled out in San Diego in 2023 and in Riverside and San Bernardino in 2024, but Ochoa Bogh wants it to be more widely accepted across California.
Several other states use the system including Colorado and Massachusetts.
What is the Blue Envelope Program?
The Blue Envelope program is designed to help communication between people with disabilities and members of law enforcement.
Those who wish to take part in the program are able to request a blue envelope from their local DMV in participating areas as well as other blue envelope merchandise.
The envelope itself contains information for law enforcement about a person’s needs and condition so they can understand how to effectively communicate with them.
It will also give the officer a deeper understanding of the person and prevent misunderstandings that could arise from symptoms of their disability.
The program hopes to diffuse interactions between members of the public with disabilities and the police.
In some areas, under the Blue Envelope program, people can also get key rings, wristbands, and stickers that clearly alert officers that they have a condition.
This immediately tells them to be patient, potentially adjust their method of communication, and slow down.
But some critics have raised concerns regarding the program, especially related to the privacy of drivers and their conditions.
“It would need to be a quality program, and this bill falls short,” Beth Burt, the executive director of the Autism Society Inland Empire told Cal Matters.
She highlighted that the bill does not detail any resources in order to have the program effectively rolled out.
“When you’ve got a good quality program, we’ve seen what it does for adults with autism and other disabilities,” Burt said.
“They feel safe and heard, versus a free program where you would just put the envelopes out with the DMV.”
She added that it should be a system rolled out to all people with disabilities including pedestrians, passengers, and cyclists – anyone who may come into contact with law enforcement.
Burt also noted that cops need to learn how to diffuse tense situations and communicate effectively with people with disabilities.
Ochoa Bogh’s bill is set to be heard at the Senate Transportation Committee on April 28.
“It deescalates, it educates and empowers everybody to have a more amicable interaction,” she said of the bill.
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