&uot;We try to help protect seniors, &uot; says Lois Christiansen of Hartland, a member of a group of concerned citizens who are working to serve the elderly portion of Freeborn County’s population.

Saturday, February 10, 2001

&uot;We try to help protect seniors, &uot; says Lois Christiansen of Hartland, a member of a group of concerned citizens who are working to serve the elderly portion of Freeborn County’s population.

TRIAD of Albert Lea/Freeborn County consists of a three-way effort involving the sheriff’s department, the city police department, and an organization of older/retired people who agree to work together to reduce the criminal victimization of older citizens and enhance the delivery of law enforcement services to this population. TRIAD provides the opportunity for the exchange of information between law enforcement and senior citizens. It focuses on reducing unwarranted fear of crime and improving the quality of life for seniors. A TRIAD is tailored to meet the needs of the city and county and is governed by a senior advisory council (SALT – Seniors and Lawmen Working Together).

This senior advisory council (SALT) is the key component for the success of a TRIAD. In each community the SALT Council acts as an advocacy/advisory group and provides a forum for the exchange of information between seniors and law enforcement.

The county’s TRIAD group was formed in April 1997. Present officers are: Roger Lonning, president; Dwane Peterson, vice president; and Lois Christiansen, secretary.

Also involved in the county’s TRIAD program with the police and sheriff’s departments are the Crime Victim’s Crisis Center (CVCC), Freeborn County Public Health Department, and Senior Resources of Freeborn County. The CVCC deals with the sometimes unhappy results of the current scams being perpetuated on senior citizens. The public health personnel make many personal contacts with elderly people, especially those living alone, and can sometimes detect examples of illegal exploitation.

In one situation, a senior citizen became involved with a series of contest events. Supposedly, the more compact discs or other merchandise a person purchased, the better the odds were for winning what has proven to be very elusive prizes. As a result, this person had a really extensive collection of CDs. There was just one detail amiss with this scenario; the person didn’t have a CD player.

In other situations, people have been persuaded to subscribe to a multitude of magazines which just pile up and are never read.

Then there are the questionable charity appeals, home repair scams, junk mail offers galore, fraudulent financial shortcuts to a future fortune, and these always persistent pests known as telemarketers.

Rose Olmsted, supervisor of the CVCC, informed the county’s TRIAD that a new refrigerator magnet listing special numbers senior citizens can call for assistance will soon be available.

Peterson said these magnets should be ready in March and will be distributed by several of the county’s outreach organizations.

Lonning commented during the February meeting that future workshops with an inspector from the U.S. Postal Service and a representative from the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office are being planned for the future.

Lonning also furnished the following information regarding the origins of TRIAD:

&uot;The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), and the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) signed a cooperative agreement in 1988 to work together to reduce both criminal victimization and unwarranted fear of crime affecting older persons.

&uot;The three national organizations agreed that police chiefs, sheriffs, older leaders, and those who work with seniors could devise better ways to reduce crimes against the elderly and enhance law enforcement services to older citizens.&uot;