Livingston Police Reach Out To People With Special Needs, Autism

LIVINGSTON, NJ — The Livingston Police Department will be taking part in two new initiatives in an effort to reach out to people with special needs and people with autism, officials recently announced.

Livingston police will be rolling out a new program called “Blue for Blue” to support individuals with special needs. It includes several components:

TOUR OF POLICE HQ – The first part of the program is that an individual with special needs (and their family, if applicable) can request a tour of police headquarters. The purpose of the tour is to have the individual feel more comfortable interacting with the police. The individual will have the opportunity to see how the police department works, tour the cell block area and ask questions of the officers. This is intended for people of any age.

BLUE ENVELOPE PROGRAM – The second aspect is the Blue Envelope Program, which is designed to aid drivers who have conditions that may keep them from effectively communicating with police officers. These conditions may include Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), anxiety, dementia, or other impairments. The goal is to provide tools to enable a safe interaction for all parties during traffic stops, accidents or any other contact on the road. The blue envelope will alert an officer that the driver has special needs and will contain copies of documents required for driving – license, registration, and insurance card as well as an emergency contact card. Envelopes are available at police headquarters and individuals may take enough envelopes to place one in each vehicle that they drive.

SEATBELT COVERS – Another part of the program is autism seatbelt covers. These covers are for the seatbelt of a person with autism and read: “I have autism. I may resist help”. In the case of an emergency where the driver is incapacitated and unable to communicate with first responders to tell them that there is an individual with autism in the vehicle, the cover will relay the information. Families may take enough to have one in each of their cars.

SIMULATED TRAFFIC STOP – Lastly, an individual with special needs who has a driver’s license can set up an appointment with our Community Policing Unit to participate in a mock motor vehicle stop with officers. The individual is encouraged to be accompanied by a family member or friend. The officers will explain the typical procedures for a motor vehicle stop, answer any questions and then will allow the participant to engage with an officer and experience a routine traffic stop in a controlled setting. If the participant will be utilizing the Blue Envelope Program, officers will ensure that they explain how to use it during an actual interaction with an officer. The participant’s vehicle will be used for the practice stop.

People can participate in one, several or all parts of the program, police said.

Contact the Community Policing Unit at (973) 992-3000, ext. #3600 or email Officer Joy Klapal at jklapal@livingstonnj.org with any questions regarding the program or to schedule an appointment for a tour or mock traffic stops. Blue envelopes and autism seatbelt covers can be picked up at the police department by inquiring at the window in the lobby.

AUTISM PATCH CHALLENGE

This April, the Livingston Police Department is participating in the Autism Patch Challenge.

According to the LPD:

“The New Rochelle Police Department created the Autism Patch Challenge in 2017. The primary goal is to promote autism awareness and acceptance in every community throughout the country and over 550 agencies nationwide participate. In 2022, the police department created patches with the autism puzzle piece motif and officers may choose to wear uniforms with these patches for the month of April. There are also shirts being sold to the public which feature the autism patch. Livingston PBA #263, Turano’s Pizza and Eppes Essen donated the shirts for the sale. All proceeds from the shirts will be split equally between two local nonprofit organizations in Livingston which work with the autistic population: Lifetown and Spectrum 360.”

For further information regarding the purchase of a t-shirt, visit livingstonnj.org/1518/Autism-Patch-Challenge

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