Sallie Greenwood is hard of hearing. She got a cochlear implant in 2020, but also uses her phone’s Live Listen function to help understand people if she can’t hear them or read their lips. She read about some interactions with police where there was miscommunication, and was apprehensive of what a traffic stop would be like for her.
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“If I reached for it on a dark night, I would be concerned, as the police would mistake me reaching for a gun,” she said.
So Greenwood contacted a few Boulder leaders about that concern and attended a Center for People with Disabilities meeting in the community a few months ago. Boulder’s Chief of Police, Alastair McNiven, was present. He mentioned they would soon roll out a Blue Envelope program to help people with disabilities communicate their accommodations.
“I was a little bit skeptical that some of these young policemen might get more enthusiastic about using their weapons and being threatened by someone who wasn't responding to their directions,” Greenwood said. “But he (McNiven) was assuring, and he followed through.”
Boulder Police has been using its Blue Envelope program for almost eight months. Hundreds of residents have taken the envelopes and lanyards that mark their disability or condition and store relevant documents that police would need. Officers have also been trained on how to deal with multiple different scenarios.
The program's costs are primarily covered by the Boulder Police Foundation, and it's available throughout Boulder County. It was the first of its kind in the state, but other departments – such as Jefferson County, Fort Collins and Erie – have caught on.
“Anyone who's ever been pulled over by a police officer on a traffic stop is aware that it can be a very stressful circumstance. That's only exacerbated when there's a concern about miscommunication because of their invisible disability or other communication challenge,” Boulder Chief of Police Alastair McNiven said. “What we hope to do with the envelope is afford that person, empower them to provide information that will decrease the likelihood of miscommunication.”
So far, there have been seven reported incidents where people have presented the envelopes to police, according to McNiven. He believes the number could be higher, depending on if an officer forgot to document it.
Officers do not ask for any proof of a disability to get one. They wanted to keep it open-ended, and they reached out to a variety of disability organizations for feedback before rolling it out. Some groups were worried that this could lead to increased targeting in crimes, but overall, the response has mostly been positive.
Greenwood currently has her envelope clipped to her visor. She hasn’t needed it, but she’s grateful it exists and that her situation is being recognized.
“It feels like that opens up the communication,” she said. “Police would understand that I may not be getting all of what it is they're saying and reacting to what they think would be appropriate behavior.”
Boulder resident Paul Migliorelli feels similarly. He has been blind since birth and lost his hearing when he was ten. He said having his medical information and other documents all in the envelope is “common sense.”
“It can never hurt to have resources and be creative about what you use to get around or to just do everyday life,” he said.
One improvement he would like to see with the envelope is accessibility. Migliorelli needed help checking the boxes with his disability and getting the physical documents together.
Boulder Police currently does not have a database of who asks for an envelope in an effort to keep it anonymous. But Migliorelli wishes there was a way for officers to make notes on his file in the system.
“There's no reason someone shouldn't know what they're dealing with or what you have,” he said. “There's no reason to hold back. I've never had a problem with that.”
Anyone who wants an envelope or lanyard can pick one up at the sheriff’s offices in Lyons, Nederland, and Superior, or they can email the sheriff’s office to receive one by mail.
