Boulder Police Unveil New Blue Envelope Program; First of Its Kind in Colorado
BOULDER, Colo. – The Boulder Police Department is honored to introduce the Blue Envelope Program as a new tool to help police interact and communicate more effectively with those needing additional accommodations or awareness.
The goal is to increase understanding and reduce the potential for miscommunication with individuals who have an invisible disability.
Those choosing to participate can fill out the blue envelope with whatever information might be helpful for an officer to know. The envelope will give the officer key information without burdening the community member to explain their needs. Officers have been trained this month in common needs and best practices to support a positive interaction with such community members.
The Boulder Police Department is the first agency in Colorado to start this program.
“We regularly send our department leaders to different trainings across the country to enhance their knowledge and skill set with the hope of bringing back great ideas like this. We also encourage them to research new and innovative policing ideas that we can implement here in Boulder,” Police Chief Stephen Redfearn said.
“Chief of Staff McNiven thought this idea was the perfect fit for our great community and I wholeheartedly agree. It also pairs well with our Autism Decal Program, which has similar goals. We look forward to feedback from our community members and hope this will improve the quality of interactions with our officers.”
Participation:
Any community member may request a blue envelope at the front desk of the Boulder Police Department (1805 33rd Street, Boulder, CO 80301) or have one mailed to you (send an email request to BlueEnvelope@bouldercolorado.gov) As a collaborative effort, we look forward to further developing the program with feedback from the community. Feedback can be provided to Chief of Staff McNiven via his email at McNivenA@bouldercolorado.gov or by phone at (303) 441-1777.
• Participation is by request only.
• No participant list or data storage is maintained.
The Envelope (pictured below):
• Recommended to be placed in the glove box of a vehicle.
• Let the officer know you will be handing them the Blue Envelope when the interaction begins.
• Inside the envelope participant can include copies of documents: driver license, registration, insurance, etc.
• Exterior of the envelope provides guidance to the driver and the officer such as tips for officers to remember; participants may list needs or disability information (verbal, medical, or neurological); and optional emergency contact information for those that may wish to have a person contacted in the event of medical episodes.
Important Reminders:
We believe this program will support more of our community in police interactions, but we also want to be clear about three things:
• Like all community members, individuals using the blue envelope are still expected to follow the law.
• There could be times when officers still need to use appropriate safety measures, including reasonable use of force, to keep everyone involved safe.
• This is a new program and while the City of Boulder officers will be gaining awareness around the blue envelope and what it means, first responders from other agencies or jurisdictions may not recognize the program.
A flyer given out with the decals will include the information below. We’re also in the process of translating it into other languages and additional formats for individuals who do not drive vehicles. We are aware that interactions with officers in circumstances other than traffic stops can also be stressful for those individuals with invisible disabilities, which is why we are soliciting ideas for a similar program to support members of our pedestrian and bicycle communities. Please send any suggestions to mcnivena@bouldercolorado.gov or call (303) 3441-1777.
