McKean County District Attorney Stephanie Vettenburg-Shaffer announced two initiatives under the umbrella of the Friends with All Abilities program Monday: the Blue Envelope and the Blue Sticker programs.

Both are focused on streamlining the process of a traffic stop or interactions in an emergency situation by raising awareness for the first responders.

“We’ve identified a way, we think, to help individuals with special needs navigate traffic stops, and at the same time, alert first responders that individuals who have increased anxiety or difficulty following requests due to the stressors of the traffic stop — whether they have sensory difficulty with (the police vehicle’s) overhead lighting, loud noises or just the stress of the encounter,” Shaffer stated. “We want to make traffic stops and encounters with all of our first responders as stress-free and productive as possible, not only for individuals with special needs but also the first responders.”

The Blue Envelope program involves having the individuals with special needs carry a blue envelope in the vehicle, ideally in the glove compartment or another easily accessible location, and using that envelope to provide their documents to the police officer during a traffic stop.

The Blue Sticker program involves placing a sticker provided by the county on the lower left of the rear windshield, providing an officer approaching the vehicle with a recognizable visual to indicate individuals in the car may have sensory difficulties.

For both of these programs, an additional level of information will be provided via an application created by county officials. The application will be available through agencies in the area, including the Guidance Center and Children & Youth Services. This application, which can be filled out with as much or as little information as the individual or caregiver feels is necessary, should be returned to the DA’s office or local law enforcement. The information will ultimately be provided to the 911 Center and the local State Police barracks to have that information available when a plate is run or an emergency is called in for a specific address.

While initially intended to make traffic stops safer and decrease stress and communication issues where possible, the Blue Sticker program also can have the additional benefit of making first responders aware of individuals in a household or vehicle that have sensory difficulties in an emergency situation.

Based on a similar program being rolled out in New York state, the intent is to provide those with different sensory needs a way to communicate with an emergency responder when speaking may be difficult. It also is intended to allow the officer or other first responder to approach the situation differently, based on the information that an individual involved has specific needs that might not be easily understood otherwise.

Shaffer also noted that, while these visual cues will be easily recognizable for local law enforcement officers, the envelope is printed with directions for both the individual and any officer who is handed the envelope, hopefully also providing an easier interaction with out-of-area law enforcement who are not familiar with the initiative.

Likewise, the sticker carries phrasing that informs the officer or other first responder that an individual with sensory difficulties is in the vehicle.