Sacramento, CA – Today, Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez (R-Rancho Santa Margarita) introduced AB 2002, a proposal that would help better facilitate interactions between law enforcement personnel and individuals with developmental disabilities during emergencies, traffic stops, and other routine service calls.
The bill would create a program that allows participants to quickly and easily inform law enforcement of a special need simply by presenting a blue envelope, which would be capable of holding their license and registration.
“These blue envelopes,” said Assemblywoman Sanchez, “have successfully been used in multiple counties and other states to improve accessibility and communication between law enforcement and individuals with disabilities. Simply put, this program works to promote inclusivity and help keep people safe, and I’m happy to partner with Riverside County Sheriff Bianco, San Diego County Sheriff Martinez, and the Association of Regional Center Agencies to move this proposal forward.”
According to 2022 Racial and Identity Profiling Advisory (RIPA) Board data, law enforcement officers used force 5.2 times more often against individuals with mental health disabilities and 3.3 times more often for individuals with other disabilities. A significant portion of these instances arose from miscommunications. The blue envelope program was rolled out in Riverside and San Diego counties to address this issue.
AB 2002 seeks to expand upon these successful programs by making the blue envelope available statewide. The bill would make it so that any individual with autism, anxiety, deafness, or similar condition could obtain a blue envelope to contain their license and effectively communicate to the officer that this individual may require specific accommodations during an interaction. It serves to enhance communication between law enforcement officers and the members of our communities.
“We are proud to sponsor Assemblywoman Sanchez’s Blue Envelope measure which aims at enhancing communications between law enforcement and persons with disabilities,” said Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco. “This bill provides a simple mechanism to immediately alert law enforcement of any potential communication hindrances so we can provide reasonable accommodations to increase the likelihood of a safe and coherent contact. We strive to always provide professional and accessible service, and this bill provides the tools to get this done.”
“Initiatives like the Blue Envelope program literally save lives,” said Amy Westling, Executive Director of the Association of Regional Center Agencies. “Regional centers’ first concern is the health and safety of the people they serve. This bill is a simple, effective way to add to the tools that support community life for people with developmental disabilities and their families.”
San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez said, “It’s great to see the collective impact the Blue Envelope Program is making as we look to take this local program to a statewide initiative. Thank you Assemblymember Kate Sanchez for spearheading this legislation in partnership with the Association of Regional Center Agencies, San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. This partnership between our communities and law enforcement in creating a communication tool to increase safety, inclusivity, awareness, and accommodation underscores how positive changes can be made when we are responsive to each other’s needs. I look forward to seeing the positive effect this program will have on law enforcement interactions throughout the state.”
Kate Sanchez was elected to the California State Assembly and serves the 71st California Assembly District. Kate is a proud Mom, and businesswoman and has been a proven advocate for parental rights, and public safety and continues to fight against California tax increases. In the State Assembly, she represents the cities of Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, Temecula, Murrieta, Wildomar, and unincorporated areas of French Valley, Temecula Wine Country, and Orange County.
Other Bills Introduced by Assemblymember Kate Sanchez:
- Jan 23 – Sanchez to Introduce Bill to Repeal AB 5
- Jan 22 – Bill Reduces Number of Laws California Lawmakers Can Introduce
3 comments
Didn’t this ding dong just say last week that she wanted to limit bills?
Sanchez doesn’t want to research meaningful legislation, so she wants to restrict her colleagues from giving her a headache. The program was allegedly developed by the San Diego sherrifs, in “collaboration with stakeholders and advocate”. Then, the Assemblymember introduced AB2002 to mandate the development of the blue envelope program statewide.
The Leg Aide claimed that the initiative is based on the RIPA report. The report is highly flawed. The data was not collected in the scientific method, nor was it compiled by surveying human participants. The sample size was 1.2% of reports of police departments on ‘when’ they stopped a driver *and* brute force was used, then how many of those were disabled people (1.2%). This is not enough to claim that the program is data driven.
Furthermore, the program in San Diego is garbage. We the autistics have not asked for it. The argument is that an officer who is handed a blue envelope would utilize ‘more effective’ communication to prevent escalation. We all know that there is no federal standard yet for decreasing police profiling and violence through a data-driven curriculum for training. We know that police officers are not prosecuted on fatalities or injuries, as they are protected with the argument that they have not been provided the training.
This bill needs to be withdrawn. The sheriff that I spoke to is happy to ‘include’ me in their program development, but they have nothing to do with the bill. I called all the people on the RIPA board to see if anyone could explain to me how a report on racial profiling has anything to do with autistic people presenting a blue envelope. The stretch is too far.
Always beware of organizations misusing statistical data – especially ones with axes to grind like the “RIPA Board.” Any real-time need for police to “use force” is and must be based on the BEHAVIOR of the individual – not a mental health analysis. If the individual is violent for whatever reason, then force will be needed to contain that behavior.
Comments are closed.