The Broome County Sheriff’s Office launched the Blue Envelope Program last week to create “safer, more understanding” police interactions with individuals that have autism.

The office partnered with local autism advocacy organizations and politicians Rep. Marc Molinaro and Broome County Legislator Matt Pasquale, to prevent the miscommunication with police that autistic people sometimes experience during traffic stops or emergencies. Broome County’s Blue Envelope Program will be the first in New York state, drawing inspiration from similar initiatives in New Jersey and Massachusetts.

The program provides participants with a blue envelope and sticker for their car. Instructions for both the driver and police officer are found on the envelope, and a fillable card inside contains emergency contact information. The envelope also includes warnings that police may use flashlights during a stop. Participating organizations — including ACHIEVE, Advocates for Autism, Alive With Autism, GiGi’s Playhouse, Helping Celebrate Abilities and the Southern Tier Independence Center — will help distribute envelopes and stickers.

“The Blue Envelope Program is one of those elegantly simple solutions that helps even when not in use,” Deputy Edward Hlebica of the Highway Patrol Division wrote in an email. “I remember my friend’s mother telling me that ‘with autism comes anxiety’ and for me this program is a simple way to kind of alleviate that potential anxiety. It gives people a plan, and [the] security to know that everything they need is in one place, and that the person receiving that information is going to have [at] least a general understanding of what to expect going forward. Hopefully this program will give people that [peace] of mind and confidence to be even more independent.”

Hlebica said that miscommunication, or misunderstanding, is one of the most common issues facing autistic people during traffic stops. If an officer doesn’t know the person is autistic, self-stimulating behaviors — or stims — like rocking back and forth, fidgeting or muttering could be misinterpreted as signs of drug use or criminal activity.

Autism diagnoses have skyrocketed since the 1990s. Since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention started measuring diagnoses, rates have gone from 1 in 150 children in 2000 to 1 in 36 in 2024. Sally Colletti, the president and chief executive of Advocates for Autism, described how parental concern contributed to the program’s creation.

“We have some of them who are about 24 or 25 — not getting their license until around then, that’s okay — getting their licenses though, and parents being very, very afraid, particularly when we see bad interactions with police,” Colletti said. “There’s been some incidences, I know there was one in Florida, there was one out west, where people have been pulled over and it has gone bad.”

Colletti said she believed that Broome County Sheriff Fred Akshar shared her concerns and is confident he will help encourage counties across the state to implement the program.

Alana Brower, the president of Binghamton Students for Autism Acceptance and a senior majoring in psychology, said she hadn’t heard of the Blue Envelope Program and hopes it gets further promoted.

“I wish something like this was promoted more so people could also be more understanding, increase communication, also create safety protocols and just make sure their loved ones who do have autism are just more prepared for a situation like this,” Brower said. “Because I feel like more times than not, people don’t know the resources that are out there and something like this could be really beneficial.” (6, [1:35])

Brower said some people associate police with impatience or are afraid that they will use unnecessary force. She said it is important for police to approach all interactions — especially those with autistic people — calmly and from a place of understanding.

The Blue Envelope Program is not the only way Broome County’s Sheriff’s department is working to better accommodate people with autism. In addition to the training they receive at the police academy, Hlebica said that Broome County officers receive biannual trainings to ensure they have the most up to date strategies to handle “all sorts of people, with all sorts of abilities, and situations.”

The exact number of people participating in the program is unknown, but the department has distributed over 600 envelopes for participating organizations to hand out.

“I think that this is a huge step forward for us at the sheriff’s office, and hopefully this program grows and expands,” Hlebica wrote. “This along with a continuation of training and understanding will undoubtedly improve our relationships and interactions.”