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The Prince George's County Police Department will use Adelphi and Beltsville as launch sites for its Triad program, which is aimed at increasing communication between police and senior citizens and providing crime prevention resources to the elderly.
The Hillandale Gardens Civic Association in Adelphi is meeting Monday with Police Chief Roberto Hylton to discuss the program, which will consist of meetings between police and seniors, safety tips for seniors and senior leaders who will operate much like block captains in a neighborhood watch.
Joyce Beck, community capacity builder for the county police, said the police department intends to expand the program countywide.
"The county is announcing the program in that area because we've learned that they have a large population of senior citizens who come to the civic association meetings and get involved in their community," said Beck, who is coordinating the program. "They're thirsty for communication."
Triad is a national program started in 1988 by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, National Sheriffs' Association and the AARP.
In every community, the SALT — Seniors And Law enforcement working Together — board of directors operates the Triad. The board will consist of sheriffs, Hylton and seniors.
"Seniors are sometimes left out when we develop our crime strategies," Hylton said in an e-mail response. "I plan to keep them in the core of my public safety program and will utilize the Triad model to do that. We must keep our senior citizens safe."
Beck, 60, stressed that criminals often target seniors, and said that in the Hillandale neighborhood in Adelphi at least two senior citizens were recently victims of an Internet scam.
Beck said seniors are commonly victims of scams where they are asked to provide their Social Security numbers, insurance or credit card information.
"I'm on this fixed income and this man calls and says he can help me out," she said. "If [seniors] had already been in a meeting and heard about these things, they're going to be much more cautious."
Pat Cinotti, 76, of Adelphi said she is aware of the telephone and Internet scams.
"They call about the credit cards and the insurance," she said. "I just hang up. I've read there are certain things going around about insurance or lower interest rates. When I get a recorded message, I just ignore it."
Cpl. Kevin Carter of the Community Response Team at the District 6 station in Beltsville said he recently worked with an elderly woman who had given her credit card information to someone who claimed he needed money to pay for a procedure for a terminally ill child.
"Someone took out a lot of money from her bank account," Carter said. "She didn't understand why this young man, whom she thought was a very nice respectful young man, could take thousands and thousands [of dollars] from her."
E-mail Jonah Schuman at jschuman@gazette.net.
Hillandale Gardens/Knollwood Estates Citizens Senior Information Fair
-When: 7-9 p.m. Monday.
-Where: Hillandale Baptist Church, 2705 Powder Mill Road, Adelphi.
-What: Prince George's Police Chief Roberto Hylton, representatives from District 1 and 6 police, representatives from Prince George's County State's Attorney Glenn F. Ivey's office and representatives from the county sheriff's office will be on hand to discuss the Triad program.