RD182 - Annual Progress Report of the Department of State Police on the Effect of the Aging Population on State Agencies


Executive Summary:
Upon request, the Department of State Police currently provides crime prevention, personal safety, and traffic safety courses to our senior citizens. Trained crime prevention specialists are assigned to division and area offices throughout Virginia, providing programs to various community groups. They have brochures and handouts formatted for the elderly to reinforce their program message. The Protect and Respect Intergenerational Mentoring Program was officially launched in May of 2003. It was created to strengthen the commonwealth's focus on crime prevention, to reduce elder abuse and victimization, to help eliminate financial fraud and scams targeting seniors, to promote fire safety and teach effective emergency responses, and to provide needed resources to improve the overall quality of life for seniors. Covering more than 30 topics in all, courses are bundled according to regional and local needs to form customized training programs that address the crime prevention needs and safety concerns in each community.

The Department of State Police will continue to provide pertinent programs to senior groups throughout Virginia to ensure that program objectives are met and that those communities requesting assistance are receiving law enforcement support to the degree necessary in identified problem areas.

In FY2006, department personnel provided direct investigative services to 393 crime victims age sixty-five and older. The department also maintains statewide statistics on crimes against the elderly through the Incident-Based Reporting System.