Autism awareness program launched by South Jersey police

The Moorestown Police Department launched the Blue Envelope program for people with special needs.

The envelopes alert officers during a traffic stop that the driver, or a passenger in the vehicle, is a person on the autism spectrum.

Big picture view:

The autism awareness envelope lists if the driver is verbal or nonverbal and provides guidelines for both the driver and the officer.

The blue envelope can hold all important driver documents as well as an emergency contact, and any personalized information you’d want an officer to be aware of.

Sergeant Joel Mufalli said it was brought to their attention from the parent advocacy group Moorestown Special Education Advisory Council (SpEAC).

What they're saying:

"My 11-year-old son, he’s autistic. He is high-functioning, so he will become a driver," said Anji Silveri, Chair of Moorestown SpEAC. "You want to make sure there’s no miscommunication with the police officer because you know it’s just something that’s a visual cue and we just can’t speak, but here’s all my information."

She continued, "It’s a sense of safety and a sense of belonging and inclusion with our community."

"I do have a sticker on the back of my car that says like if you approach the car, he won’t be able to respond maybe to things," said Kimmie Smith, past Chair of Moorestown SpEAC. "I’m also going to put in a picture of my son in the envelope because I feel like when people see a picture of my son they’ll think about the person and not the disability."

Smith has two sons with special needs. Her older son is high functioning with a driver’s license. "There may be a time where he just can’t respond normally, or he may be nervous, or it may be sensory overload with the lights or the sirens. So, him having this in his car is going to be amazing for him and it’ll give me a bit of relief," said Smith.

What's next:

The blue envelopes can be picked up at the Moorestown Police Department.

Sergeant Mufalli said, "As long as they carry that with them in their vehicle, if they ever get pulled over by police, they can present that blue envelope to the officer. That can make an officer know that, hey, this might not be a criminal situation, this may just be somebody who has a driver’s license who committed a traffic offense but also has a special need. The goal at the end of the traffic stop is that everyone remains safe and leaves satisfied with the interaction."

The Source: FOX 29 reporter Jennifer Lee spoke with Sgt. Joel Mufali, with Moorestown Police, as well as Anji Silveri and Kimmie Smith, with Moorestown SpEAC to gain insight into this new program.

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