People with special needs lined up in Austintown Saturday to pick up blue envelopes for their personal information. It's part of a program being launched by ?the Mahoning county prosecutor's office, the Mahoning county sheriff's office and the Mahoning County Board of Developmental Disabilities. 

 

 

"What goes inside is a copy of your vehicle, registration, your insurance and a copy of your driver's license. On the outside of the envelope has information to give the officer.  For instance, it says, "I may need additional time to formulate responses."  It says, "I may have a special need that prevents me from communicating as clearly as I would like," said Mahoning Prosecutor Gina DeGenova. 

 

 

Next they took part in simulations of traffic stops so they can learn what they should do when stopped by deputies or law enforcement. 

 

The blue envelope also contains a sticker of a blue envelope to put on your car, SUV, or truck.

 

 "It's a huge help because sometimes the inability to communicate, you may think they're being defiant, you may think they're impaired, there might be several different aspects. With this Blue Envelope program and a sticker, going into a traffic stop you know there might be differences where people might have trouble communicating, so it gives us a heads up early on," Chief Deputy of the Mahoning Sheriff's Office Jeff Allan said. 

 

If you missed this event, the Blue Envelope Kits can be found at public libraries across Mahoning county which are also partners in this program.