Members Sought For New Council
Local law enforcement agencies are partnering with local senior service providers as part of a program to reduce crimes against senior citizens and improve their quality of life.
The Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office, Lexington Police Department and Buena Vista Police Department are forming the Rockbridge- Lexington-Buena Vista TRIAD program, a local branch of a statewide program that focuses on increasing awareness and education about various frauds and scams that target senior citizens, increasing communication between senior communities and local law enforcement, and educating them about programs and resources that are available.
The office of the attorney general oversees the statewide TRIAD program, and according to its website, there are more than 200 localities in Virginia with TRIAD programs. Additionally, the National Association of Triads, Inc. has recognized the commonwealth as having “the highest number of active local groups nationwide,” and Virginia is also the only state with a statewide TRIAD program.
One of the key components of the program is the SALT Council (Seniors And Law enforcement Together). The council serves as the local advisory body for the program and is made up of local senior citizens, members of local law enforcement agencies, and representatives from local community partners.
The council will work to identify local concerns, guide the proper educational programming and make sure that area seniors have their voices and perspectives utilized in these crime prevention efforts.
“One of the most important aspects of TRIAD is that it gives seniors a voice,” Rockbridge County Sheriff Tony McFaddin told The News-Gazette in an email on Friday. “We are actively looking for seniors who have the time, ability and passion to serve on the SALT Council and help guide and support our TRIAD program.”
Officer Joshua Guttmann with the Buena Vista Police Department spearheaded the effort to get the local TRIAD program up and running. He told The News-Gazette in an email last week that having all three local law enforcement agencies form a partnership for the program “allows us to take a more unified and consistent approach to senior safety across jurisdictional lines.”
“By working together, we can share information, pool resources, avoid duplication of efforts and provide coordinated messaging and programming that better serves seniors throughout the region,” he said. “This collaboration also strengthens relationships between agencies and the communities we serve, ensuring a more comprehensive and sustainable approach to [crime] prevention.”
“Criminal activity doesn’t respect jurisdictional boundaries, and neither should our prevention efforts,” McFaddin added. “TRIAD allows us to get ahead of crime by focusing on prevention rather than reaction. Our seniors are often targeted and this partnership helps us deliver consistent, practical information that can stop victimization before it happens.”
Justin Doll, the newly appointed chief for the Lexington Police Department, told The News-Gazette that the department is “completely on board” and is “excited to work with our local partners and to be part of the program.”
“I think it’s a great opportunity for us to work with our partners, both in law enforcement and other community programs,” he said. “For the LPD, it’s part of our overall commitment to having great relationships with the community we serve.
“We all have seniors in our family,” he added. “I do in mine, and I hope that they would participate in a program like this if it’s available in the regions where they are living.”
Anyone interested in learning more about TRIAD or how to participate in the program can contact Guttmann at (540) 817-3046 or joshua.guttmann@bvcity. org, or Deputy Emily Fary at the Rockbridge County Sheriff’s Office at (540) 4625376 or [email protected].
