Sheriff’s Office Rolls Out Blue Envelope Program

OSWEGO – Sheriff Don Hilton announced today that the Oswego County Sheriff’s Office is recognizing April as Autism Awareness Month and adopting the Blue Envelope Program, which is an important safety program for drivers with autism. This program encourages drivers with autism to obtain a Blue Envelope from the Sheriff’s Office. Drivers can keep their license, registration, insurance card and other relevant documents which a police officer would normally request upon a traffic stop, in this envelope. When the police officer is sees the Blue Envelope, the officer is alerted to the driver’s autism and can adjust his or her actions and reactions to fit that situation.

Sheriff Hilton explains, “There are many adult drivers who are living with autism. A driver’s physical movements or verbal responses which would normally be appropriate during a traffic stop may be beyond an autistic driver’s control. There have been some unfortunate incidents where, during a traffic stop of a person with autism, the officer has misinterpreted the driver’s movements, or the driver’s failure to appropriately respond to requests or to directions. This has sometimes led to an escalation of the situation and resulted in a bad outcome”.

To address this problem, law enforcement agencies around the state have recently begun adopting the Blue Envelope Program. Sheriff Hilton recently met with Oswego County Autism Task Force members Tammy Thompson and Julie Chetney to share information about the Blue Envelope Program. They are encouraging drivers with autism to obtain a Blue Envelope by contacting the Sheriff’s Office at (315)349-3307 or stopping by the Public Safety Center at 39 Churchill Road, Oswego, New York to pick one up.

The New York State Sheriffs’ Association is promoting this free program statewide and many Sheriff’s Offices are rolling out the program in their county, including Sheriff Hilton and most neighboring counties. The Sheriff is also encouraging his deputies and other law enforcement officers in the county to be aware of the significance of the Blue Envelope if one is presented by the driver during a traffic stop.

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