Aurora Police Department Adopts Support Program for People with Disabilities

The Aurora Police Department has joined a growing list of Colorado law enforcement agencies taking steps to improve interactions between officers and individuals with disabilities.

According to APD, the department launched a Blue Envelope Program this week, becoming the 21st local agency across Colorado to do so in nine months. The program provides the namesake blue envelopes to community members who wish to provide officers with information about their conditions — such as explaining that they have autism, Tourette syndrome or are deaf — and how that might impact their behavior or accommodation needs.

Participants fill out the envelope ahead of time and present it to officers during traffic stops or other police interactions.

"By using this tool, officers are better equipped to adjust their approach, helping create a safer, more respectful, and less stressful experience for everyone involved," APD spokesperson Gabby Easterwood said in a statement. "This program reflects the Aurora Police Department’s ongoing commitment to safe, meaningful communication and marks a step toward building inclusion and understanding across the community."

Aurora's program also offers a window decal, bracelet and button for participants to identify them as part of the program more visibly than the envelope, which would typically be kept inside of a vehicle.

Participation in the Blue Envelope Program is voluntary, free and no personal information or database is collected from participants, according to APD. The program is open to anyone, but the department says it is meant to be especially helpful for people with disabilities, who are non-verbal or who have difficulty communicating.
Community members can get envelopes via mail or pick them up at various locations throughout the city listed on auroragov.org.

The concept got its start in Connecticut in 2020, but it didn't reach Colorado until January, when the Boulder Police Department launched the state's first program.

"It's really gratifying to see it spread," Alastair McNiven, BPD's chief of staff, told Westword in July. “The feedback from the community has been overwhelmingly positive. ...This program is not just a great concept, but it actually functions in the real world."

Other current participants include the Adams County Sheriff's Office, Arvada Police Department, Boulder County Sheriff's Office, Commerce City Police Department, Edgewater Police Department, Erie Police Department, Evergreen Fire Rescue, Firestone Police Department, Fort Collins Police Department, Golden Police Department, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Lakewood Police Department, Lafayette Police Department, Longmont Police Department, Louisville Police Department, Thornton Police Department, West Metro Fire Rescue and Wheat Ridge Police Department.

The Denver Police Department plans to begin its own Blue Envelope Program by the end of the summer.