Plainfield School District 202 and the Plainfield Police Department recently teamed up to educate neurodivergent drivers and police officers on safely navigating a traffic stop.

District 202 Director of Safety and Security Stefan Bjes hosted the mock traffic stop training session on April 21 at Plainfield High School-Central Campus.

Neurodivergent refers to people who process information in a way that is not typical for their age. This variation could include a diagnosed condition like autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, but neurodivergence itself is not a diagnosis, according to Northwestern Medicine.

The event included a presentation about what to do during a traffic stop and drivers also went through a mock traffic stop to practice what they learned.

Bjes told the audience it is OK to be nervous during a traffic stop.

“Just about everybody has a little bit of anxiety when they see those red and blue lights behind them on a traffic stop,” he said. “For our neurodivergent drivers, there’s no difference.”

The Blue Envelope program was also highlighted at the event. The Plainfield Police Department recently implemented the program.

As part of the program, neurodivergent drivers carry a blue envelope that contains their driver’s license, insurance and an optional description of their need, such as autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity.

The driver gives the envelope to the police officer so they know how to safely interact with the driver.

“We wanted to recognize that not only are there autistic drivers who may not know how to act on a traffic stop, but we also wanted to teach the officers to recognize how to act when they are in an interaction with a driver who has autism,” said Plainfield Police Department Community Engagement Officer Brett Keag.

Envelopes are available at the Plainfield Police Department, 14300 Coil Plus Drive. Batavia and Campton Hills police departments are among other departments to recently announce they are participating in the program.

State Rep. Natalie Manley, D-Joliet, is supporting a plan to establish a Blue Envelope Program statewide.

“Traffic stops are stressful to begin with, and individuals with autism may display unexpected behavior to an officer that can cause suspicion or unnecessarily escalate the situation,” Manley said.

“If the officer sees the blue envelope and knows from the beginning that they are interacting with someone with autism, they can draw on their training and misunderstanding can be avoided. It’s a better interaction for all involved,” she has previously said.