ROANOKE, VA – For Sergeant Rick Garletts, the push to make traffic stops safer begins at home.
“The anxiety I’ve had with all the kids driving is crashes, you know, the normal things parents usually worry about. This gives me anxiety with him driving simply because I know how he reacts to things,” Garletts said.
Garletts’ son is like any other teenager, excited to drive — but he has autism.
“I didn’t want to label him. I did not want him to be diagnosed with anything. But, I had to be educated that there really is an issue here that is valid, that helps him be successful,” he said.
The blue envelope program is designed to help - giving drivers with autism a safe way to communicate with officers.
If someone on the autism spectrum gets pulled over, the blue envelope can be a crucial tool.
It’s designed to hold a driver’s license and registration, and alerts the officer that the driver may need extra time or support communicating.
The program is simple, free, and already making a meaningful difference for families across Virginia.
Making a difference is exactly what Tameka Paige with the Roanoke City Sheriff’s Office set out to do.
“Leaving a mark or a legacy. What could we do as an agency that five, ten years from now could still be standing?” Paige said.
Paige took that question and turned it into action.
She lobbied for the bill, working with lawmakers to get it passed through the General Assembly until it landed on the Governor’s desk.
“I think I gave it 150%. The sheriff was tied in; he was making phone calls, community engagement was making phone calls. I was shocked at first, I was like ‘I can’t believe it’. I was very, very excited,” she said.
The envelope includes instructions for officers and drivers — even a contact number for the officer to call if communication is difficult.
“Repetitive body movement, fidgeting, and may not make eye contact. In normal officer training, that tells us that they’re either being deceptive or they’re hiding something. But in this case, that’s not necessarily true. That’s just how they process dealing with a struggle,” Garletts said.
And when Garlett’s son starts driving? The blue envelope will be in the car with him.
“We’re gonna take our time teaching him,” he said.
You can get a blue envelope for free at the DMV.
For more information, click here.