Tega Cay Police Chief Joey Crosby announced two new department programs at the Oct. 20 Tega Cay City Council meeting, one designed to improve communication between officers and residents with disabilities or medical conditions and another designed to help officers find residents who wander away from home.
The Blue Envelope Program and Project Lifesaver are both voluntary and free to city residents. Residents can sign up for either one through online registration forms the city has posted.
Both programs are built for families living with conditions such as autism, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, where a traffic stop can quickly become confusing for a driver and a few minutes out of a caregiver’s sight can become an emergency.
How the Blue Envelope works
The Tega Cay Police Department said the Blue Envelope Program is meant to build understanding and improve communication between residents with disabilities or medical conditions and the people they may encounter in a stressful moment, including police officers, emergency responders and community service personnel. The department said the program is for anyone who may benefit from added awareness or reasonable accommodations during those interactions.
The idea is simple. A driver keeps a copy of their license, registration and insurance inside a blue envelope, and the envelope tells the officer about the driver’s condition and that the driver intends to cooperate. The driver hands it over when the officer approaches the car.
Connecticut created the first blue envelope program in 2019, and by April 2026 the program or a similar one had been formally adopted in 13 states.
Carrying the envelope is not a pass. Drivers in the program can still receive a citation for a traffic violation.
How Project Lifesaver works
The department describes Project Lifesaver as an international search and rescue program run by public safety agencies for children and adults who are prone to wandering or running off because of autism, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or another cognitive condition. Its goal, according to TCPD, is a fast response that saves lives and limits injuries.
Each participant wears a small battery powered transmitter that sends a tracking signal every second, 24 hours a day, on its own unique radio frequency. The device is worn on the wrist or ankle. When the person goes missing, the caregiver calls 911, and trained officers respond with locator equipment to track the signal.
The transmitter is not a GPS device. Agencies that use the system say radio signals hold up well in wooded areas where tree cover can interfere with GPS, a consideration in a city built on a Lake Wylie peninsula with walking trails and 13 city owned parks.
The transmitter does not replace supervision. Agencies running the program describe it as an added layer of protection for someone who already has round the clock care.
Families interested in Project Lifesaver can let the department know, and one of TCPD’s community officers will “come out and meet with you” to go over the program and walk through enrollment, the department said.
The free enrollment sets Tega Cay apart from some agencies elsewhere, which have charged families roughly $300 to $350 for the starter equipment.
How to register
Registration for the Blue Envelope Program is at cognitoforms.com/CityOfTegaCay/BlueEnvelopeProgram, and registration for Project Lifesaver is at cognitoforms.com/CityOfTegaCay/ProjectLifesaver.
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Thomas Hyslip lives in Tega Cay with his wife and daughter. After 27 years in the U.S. Army and Federal Law Enforcement, he retired to pursue his passion for teaching. Tom is now an Associate Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida. In 2 short years he has won 10 awards from the South Carolina Press Association, including first place in column writing, education beat reporting and best podcast.
