MIAMI TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Miami Township police are training officers to run mock traffic stops with residents enrolled in Ohio’s Blue Envelope Program, an effort to help officers communicate more safely with drivers and passengers who have developmental or communication-related disabilities.
The department said in a Facebook post that it has partnered with the Clermont County Board of Developmental Disabilities to offer the practice stops, which are meant to build familiarity and trust between officers and program participants before a real encounter on the road.
Officer Dusa recently ran one of the drills with a driver who has autism spectrum disorder, and the driver agreed to let the department share video of the exercise to promote awareness of the program, according to the post.
The Blue Envelope Program gives participants a folder to keep a driver’s license, registration and insurance card together with notes for officers about how the driver or passenger communicates and what behaviors they may show during a stop, the department said. The materials are meant to help an officer recognize communication differences that might otherwise be mistaken for evasiveness, since a traffic stop’s flashing lights, sirens and rapid-fire questions can be especially overwhelming for someone with a developmental or communication-related disability.
The program was designed by the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department and first came to Ohio in 2024 through the Mahoning County Prosecutor’s Office, backed by the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council, the Southern Ohio Council of Governments and the Southern Ohio Advocacy Group. It has since spread to county developmental disabilities boards across the state.
Locally, Blue Envelope packets are available free during business hours at the Clermont County Board of Developmental Disabilities, 2040 U.S. 50 in Batavia, the department said. Residents who enroll can then contact Miami Township police to schedule a mock stop with an officer.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Miami Township Police Department.