The Blue Envelope Program works to address the unique communication challenges faced by those with autism, dementia, anxiety and other behavioral 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. Dylan Tusinski/Morning Sentinel

An increasing number of central Maine police departments are adopting a program that aims to create safety and awareness for drivers with developmental, mental and behavioral disorders during police interactions.

The Blue Envelope Program works to address the unique communication challenges faced by those with autism, dementia, anxiety and other behavioral 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.

The program 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 of Maine.

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

“It could be a lot of things, whether you have PTSD, anxiety, a brain injury, something like that,” she said. “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 Blue Envelope Program.

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.

Blue envelopes are available at the offices of participating departments, a list of which can be found at the DSAP’s website.

The program 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.

The Augusta Police Department became the latest central Maine agency to implement the program when it announced last month it will begin training officers and providing blue envelopes at the department’s new headquarters at 7 Willow St.

The program is beneficial for both drivers with disabilities and police officers and aims to foster more understanding between them, Augusta Patrol Sgt. Anthony Drouin said Thursday at a city council meeting.

“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 program just weeks ago, Drouin said Augusta officers had given out well over a dozen blue envelopes so far, some to residents of communities that have yet to adopt the program.

The Blue Envelope Program works to address the unique communication challenges faced by those with autism, dementia, anxiety and other behavioral 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. Dylan Tusinski/Morning Sentinel

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.

Three other central Maine police departments are taking part in the program: Winslow, Winthrop and Pittsfield. Waterville Police will adopt the initiative within the next few months, town officials say.

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

Many of the program’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 the program.

“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 organization 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.

(Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story stated an incorrect address for the Augusta Police Department. It is 7 Willow St. It was a reporting error.)