ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – The Roanoke City Sheriff’s office is asking the public to support their push for the Blue Envelope Program, which would help break barriers between individuals who have trouble communicating with law enforcement.
Introduced by Delegate Sam Rasoul, if passed by the General Assembly, the program could be put in place across the Commonwealth.
House Bill 2501 aims to create a Driver Communication Program within the Department of Motor Vehicles, to help individuals with autism or any intellectual disabilities that may affect how they communicate with law enforcement during traffic stops. The bill directs police departments to have blue envelopes available upon request.
The envelope must clearly show that the driver has a disability that can impair their communication, and it must have a specific space for more information to be written about the driver’s best communication needs. It also has to be able to hold a vehicle registration, insurance information, and an emergency contact card. The envelope must tell the driver to keep those items in there, and provide it, as well as their driver’s license for an officer, when involved in a traffic stop or crash.
Frances McCutcheon, a lecturer at Roanoke College who specializes in disability advocacy says the way the program was developed was very important.
“It was developed in partnership between the police and people with disabilities. And that’s that’s a focus for us in disability studies. I’m teaching a course right now called ‘Nothing About Us Without us,’ which is the motto of people with the disability movement. The idea is don’t make rules for us. Don’t make programs for us without consulting us,” said McCutcheon.
Tameka Paige, with the Roanoke City Sheriff’s Office, brought the bill to Delegate Results attention at the, “You can write the bill” event last fall. In a statement, the Roanoke City Sheriff’s Office says, this bill is aimed at improving safety and communication saying:
“This simple initiative not only reduces misunderstandings but also improves safety for both the individual and the officer involved,” Tameka Paige, PIO/Community Strategist with the Roanoke City’s Sheriff’s Department.
“I’m excited to be able to introduce a bill that was the idea of one of my constituents, someone who came through our write the bill process where we help people learn about the process, help them write a bill, and then see her idea actually introduced into law and hopefully passed into law,” said Delegate Rasoul.
The sheriff’s department is in Richmond lobbying to get more support for this bill to be implemented across the commonwealth. The sheriff’s office says to help show your support for the bill, to call your local lawmaker.