Orange County TRIAD

Safety for Seniors

 

What is TRIAD? What does TRIAD do?

TRIAD is a volunteer partnership involving:

  • a sheriff
  • police chief(s) in the county
  • local AARP or other older/retired leadership

The primary goals of TRIAD are to:

  • reduce the criminal victimization of older citizens
  • enhance the delivery of law enforcement services to this population
  • provide opportunities for exchange of information between law enforcement and senior citizens

TRIAD is an integral part of community policing, with a focus on reducing unwarranted fear of crime and improving the quality of life for seniors.

Older Americans comprise the most rapidly growing segment of the population. One in every eight Americans is already age 65 or older, a total of more than 33.6 million. Increased life expectancy is leading to new problems and issues for the criminal justice system as communities, including Orange County, experience a dramatic increase in the number of older persons.

 

TRIAD activities in Orange County include:

  • providing information to seniors on:
    • how to avoid criminal victimization
    • home security information & inspections
    • current frauds and scams
    • coping with telephone solicitations and door-to-door salesmen
    • elder abuse prevention, recognition and reporting
  • training for deputies and officers in communicating with and assisting older persons
  • telephone reassurance programs for older citizens
  • intergenerational projects beneficial to seniors and youth
  • emergency preparedness plans by and for seniors
  • victim assistance by and for seniors
  • court watch activities
  • File of Life emergency medical information program: A program developed by TRIAD to quickly and accurately provide important medical facts in the midst of a life threatening emergency.
  • mature volunteers within law enforcement agencies
  • Project Lifesaver is a rapid response program aiding citizens and families dealing with Alzheimer's disease, autistism, dementia, and learning disabilities, as well as deaf toddlers; this program uses state of the art technology and specially trained officers to locate individuals who have wandered away and cannot take care of themselves
  • the Yellow Dot™ Program to supplement The File of Life
  • veteran services available for seniors
  • the annual Art of Aging Expo
  • the annual Battlefield/Piedmont Regional TRIAD Conference for Senior Citizens
  • provide advice on home alarm systems and other emergency devices
  • provide emergency devices to financially-challenged seniors
  • speakers bureau available to the community
  • A Child is Missing Alert Program: This non-profit organization uses a high technology telephone alert system to canvas a neighborhood with calls describing a missing child or elderly person, asking anyone with leads to call their local law enforcement. Alert calls are launched within 15 minutes from request for assistance at a rate of 1,000 calls per 60 seconds.
  • Orange Senior Coalition
  • Orange County TRIAD is a part of Aging Together of Orange County; our vision is to enable people to remain independent and in their own homes for as long as they choose and, if nursing care becomes necessary, we envision a county that allows people to move smoothly through the continuum of care in a manner reflective of their individual needs and desires

Calls for service, crimes, victims—all are changing. TRIAD assesses the needs of each community. Areas with serious crime problems may focus on crime prevention and victim assistance. In addition to crime prevention, TRIAD may provide reassurance programs, training for law enforcement personnel in senior issues, and involving volunteers within the law enforcement agencies.

 

Who is TRIAD?

Although TRIAD is a national movement, each TRIAD is a local organization, tailored to meet the unique needs of its community. The Orange County Seniors and Law Enforcement Together (SALT) Council typically includes representatives of the Orange Town Police Department, the Gordonsville Police Department, the Orange County Sheriff's Office, Orange County American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), and other senior organizations. Also participating are RSVP, service providers, hospitals, the business community, clergy, and other agencies involved, or interested in, helping the elderly. The SALT Council, the action and governing arm of TRIAD, assesses and addresses the needs of the elderly in the community by determining their needs and concerns, collaborating to develop ways to meet those needs, and planning activities and programs to involve and benefit both law enforcement and seniors.

 

TRIAD volunteers

There are currently hundreds of TRIAD volunteers across the Commonwealth of Virginia that assist with TRIAD activities on a regular basis. Some volunteers are local law enforcement personnel; some are seniors who work after hours and on their days off to bring programs to the community. Volunteers are recruited in a variety of different ways. Some are local senior leaders who have chosen to be a part of crime prevention in their community. Some seniors read about the programs and call to become a part of TRIAD. Letters are also sent out to seniors asking for their help in the TRIAD Program.

Local TRIADs train their seniors to protect themselves, and to always alert authorities if they see anything suspicious. Seniors may often be the law's best partner in reducing crime in their communities. Seniors are the eyes and ears of most communities, and the relationship they have with local law enforcement can directly assist in preventing and solving crimes.

 

How did TRIAD come about?

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and the National Sheriffs' Associations (NSA) signed a cooperative agreement in 1988 to work together to reduce both criminal victimization and unwarranted fear of crime affecting older persons. The three national organizations agreed that police chiefs, sheriffs, older leaders, and those who work with seniors, working together, could devise better ways to reduce crimes against the elderly and enhance law enforcement services to older citizens. This, they believe, is true community policing, providing better service to a population that appreciates, respects, and supports law enforcement.

TRIADS in areas with serious crime problems may focus on crime prevention and victim assistance. Where older persons are not often targets of crime, the SALT Council, the engine that drives a local TRIAD, may decide to concentrate on reassurance programs, training for law enforcement, and involving volunteers within the law enforcement agencies.

 

TRIAD in Virginia...

Virginia's TRIAD program began when former Governor Jim Gilmore was Attorney General traveled to Texas in 1995 to a conference where he first learned of TRIAD. He was so interested in the program that, when he returned from his trip, he decided to initiate the program in Virginia. It began with a signing of an agreement of many crime prevention leaders throughout Virginia. Former Attorney General Mark L. Earley re-signed this agreement in 2000, when Virginia was honored as the host state for the National TRIAD Conference. TRIAD was recognized in 2005 by Commonwealth of Virginia House Joint Resolution #731 in honor of its 10th anniversary!

...and Orange County

The cooperative agreement with the Commonwealth of Virginia Attorney General, under whose auspices Virginia TRIADs operate, was first signed on 28 August 2002, and it was re-signed 26 August 2005. The Battlefield/Piedmont Regional TRIAD was formed 1 May 2003, and the cooperative agreement was re-signed 26 August 2005. Orange County's was the first TRIAD to become a SeniorNavigator.org center.

 

Contact Elaine Anderson, TRIAD Coordinator in partnership with the Orange County Sheriff's Office:

 

Useful links for Seniors:

  • http://SeniorNavigator.org This is a free, statewide public-service, non-profit whose mission is to provide comprehensive health and aging information to seniors and their caregivers, supporting independence, confidentiality, dignity and quality of life. It combines the best practices of community building and information technology, providing information about over 18,500 public and private local programs and services.
  • http://www.aarp.org
  • http://www.vaag.com
  • http://www.elderwisdomcircle.org Elder Wisdom Circle is a coalition of seniors who read emails sent them seeking advice on issues as diverse as making pies to abusive relationships, replying with safe, funny, and often poignant wisdom gleaned from their many years of living.
  • http://www.snopes.com
  • seniors@oag.state.va.us If you would like to add your address to the TRIAD mailing list sent out by Jennifer Hasty-Auhgur, Director of Triad and Citizen Outreach in the Office of the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Virginia, send your request to this address.