A traffic stop can be a nerve-wracking experience for anyone. In Dare County, people with disabilities now can show a blue envelope to law enforcement to help with communication.
"It has different check boxes. It might say, I have a communication impairment, I have dementia, and there is fill in the blank options for the individual to write what they really want to express. On the inside of the envelope, there's more information, their contact information, emergency contact information, anything else that they might want the officer to know," said Kristin Kuhar, a speech language pathologist at Outer Banks Health.
"There's also strategies and recommendations for the police officer on there, things that they want to consider when they're doing their traffic stop, and things for the individual to consider that way they know what to expect from the police officer," Kuhar said.
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Kuhar saw her husband's former police department start the Blue Envelope Program. After learning more about it herself, she felt it would be a benefit to have in the community she calls home.
“It really related to me as a speech therapist, because it really targeted individuals with autism and different kinds of communication impairments that I
would typically work with," said Kuhar.
Kuhar spoke with individuals at Outer Banks Health about it and just a month ago, OBH and Dare County law enforcement agencies partnered to make it happen.
"It's not a big county, that's true, but we do have a lot of patients at this hospital that I've seen that have strokes and have communication impairments from there. A lot of members in the community who have dementia might have trouble communicating, or might be missing and can provide some information to the police. We also have a huge influx of visitors, travelers, vacationers who come here, who would also benefit from this as well," said Kuhar.
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For law enforcement they want every interaction to go smoothly and feel this program is a tool for that to continue to happen.
“If we know it's a nonverbal issue, knowing that okay, we can be able to write notes back and forth to each other, or go into your smartphone and open up a note section and be able to have a conversation back and forth that way. It really helps the interaction go a lot smoother and makes both parties a lot more comfortable," said Julie Haner. a lieutenant in the Kill Devil Hills Police Department's Criminal Investigations Division.
Both OBH and law enforcement are excited to have the opportunity to share the Blue Envelope Program with the Outer Banks community.
“It's a great program. It's had lots of success in other places in the nation, and we're very fortunate to have it brought here," said Haner.
The free blue envelopes can be found in police departments, medical offices, libraries, high schools and senior centers around Dare County.
