Bay Village is now launching a Blue Envelope program to help improve traffic stops for people with autism.
The program helps police assist residents with autism or other medical conditions by giving the officers a better understanding of the individual they are interacting with.
Once a driver picks up Blue Envelope materials, they can put their license, a copy of their registration and a current insurance card. On one side of the envelope, there's also a place to mark if the driver is verbal or non-verbal. There are also instructions on what to do when you are stopped.
The other side has information for officers. During a traffic stop, drivers can let officers know they have a blue envelope.
"This just kind of lets us know that there's going to be an indvidual that's either the driver or the passenger in this vehicle that might have a condition that either they get really anxious with police or maybe they are hearing impaired," Officer Melissa Marzan with the Bay Village Police Department said. "It's going to be helpful for us more than anything on the traffic stop."
A window sticker is also included in the envelope. This can be placed on the individual's vehicle to let officers know that someone inside the car is participating.
Blue Envelope materials can be picked up in person at the Bay Village Police Department, Bay Village City Hall and the Bay Village Senior Center.
Bay Village is the latest city to launch the program. Mansfield and Lakewood Police Departments started Blue Envelope programs earlier this year.
