“Hot Spot Cards” were developed eight years ago as a way to help Springfield residents report crimes anonymously, and to hold local authorities accountable for their response.

The cards have been so successful, organizers are hoping to soon make them available throughout Clark County. A rally to celebrate their success is scheduled at Covenant Presbyterian Church Tuesday evening.

Bill Salyers, who helped organize the rally, said the cards were first developed by a local organization called Justice Action Mercy in 2003. City residents at the time were looking for a new way to report crimes to local authorities anonymously. “This was a tool that anybody could use to send anonymous reports,” Salyers said.

Residents are able to fill out the cards with the appropriate information, and drop them off in the mail. The cards are delivered to a post office box and passed on to a Hot Spot Committee, which assigns a number to each card. The cards are then passed on to local law enforcement for investigation.

“Stephen Moody, chief of the Springfield Police Division, and Clark County Sheriff Gene Kelly have both been supportive of the program,” Salyers said. Both meet regularly with the Hot Spot committee to review action taken on each card.

Salyers said since the program began, more than 50 percent of the tips have led to arrests, and another 20 percent are still being investigated.

The committee is now planning to extend their use.  “We’re trying to make it a tool for the entire county, not just the city,” he said.  Several organizations, including the Clark County Triad SALT Council and the Catholic Social Action Committee, work together to make sure the cards are available.

Salyers said “the cards are available at local law enforcement agencies, United Senior Services, 101 S. Fountain Ave., and will be available at local libraries”. 

A special thank you to the sponsors of this event goes out to the Administration on Aging. We also want to thank the Prince Georges County Police TRIAD Officers, and the staff from the Department of Family Services, for coming out and showing your support and helping with this event. Everyone had a wonderful time again this year. Thank you, one and all.

Most citizens are not aware that medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are increasing at alarming rates, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, many Americans do not know how to properly dispose of their unused medicine, often flushing them down the toilet or throwing them away – both potential safety and health hazards.

The National Prescription Drug Take-Back campaign provides a way for the public to dispose of their unwanted prescription drugs in a safe, legal, and environmentally sound way. This event will be held on Saturday, September 25, 2010 from 10:00am to 2:00pm at the following locations: Wiscasset – at the Lincoln County Communications Center, Jefferson – at the Fire Station, Damariscotta – at Miles Memorial Hospital-Main Entrance, Boothbay Harbor – at the Town Office.

This event is free and anonymous.  There will be no questions asked or identification required.  People are asked to please remove any identifying labels from bottles or packages. Any liquid products should remain sealed in their original containers. Please ensure the cap is sealed tightly before depositing.

INTRA-VENOUS SOLUTIONS, INJECTIBLES AND SYRINGES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED DUE TO POTENTIAL HAZARDS.

This initiative is restricted to prescription and over the counter type medications only.  Illicit substances such as marijuana, cocaine or heroin are not part of this initiative and should not be brought to the collection points.

For more information on this event, please contact Detective Robert McFetridge of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office at 207-882-7332 rmcfetridge@co.lincoln.me.us or your local police department.

The International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse (INPEA) had its 5th Annual World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) on Tuesday, June 15, 2010.

This day is held in support of the United Nations International Plan of Action which recognizes the significance of elder abuse as a public health and human rights issue. Many organizations ranging from religious groups and government organizations to professionals in the field of aging, interested individuals as well as older persons themselves will promote a better understanding of abuse and neglect of older persons by organizing activities around the world to raise awareness of the cultural, social, economic and demographic processes affecting elder abuse and neglect.

Elder Abuse Awareness Day was celebrated at “The Mall at Prince George’s” in Hyattsville, Maryland and at the “Iverson Mall” in Temple Hills, Maryland. There were numerous information booths manned by the Prince Georges County Office of the Sheriff Triad Officers, Prince George’s County Police Department, State’s Attorney Office, Maryland Crime Victim’s Resource Center, Inc., The Office of 911, Prince George’s County Health Department, Register of Wills, Prince George’s County Fire Department /EMS, and the Department of Social Services etc. They were assisted by their Explorers who ran the “BINGO” games for the participating seniors. Seniors were informed about neglect, Abuse, Financial Crimes, Scams, Identity Theft and what to look for in everyday situations. They were given health screenings, door prizes and some even had their finger prints done at this event.

Everyone had a wonderful time and they are looking forward to another great event next year.  A special thanks goes out to Lorna Jones and Cindy Buie-Brown for their hard work and dedication to Prince Georges County TRIAD.

Thanks, Mel, for sharing this application with us, and we appreciate your continued support of the 911 Cell Phone Bank program.

I was able to attend multiple workshops. Some of them were refresher courses and some of them shared information that just astonished me. Above all, the two workshops that renew themselves in my mind daily are; “Creating a Successful State Triad” and “What is Triad? How Can We Enhance It?” I honestly ask myself daily, “why wouldn’t any state, county or community want to have a Triad?” It is a must, and it should be mandatory. As long as we have con-artists, scammers, abusers, thieves, dealer of all sorts, our seniors and communities need protection. If we cannot set aside an hour or two each month or day then shame on us. We will all be seniors/elders one day, (if the good Lord spares us to see those years) and we are going to want to have someone to look after and care for us. Your welfare is just as important as a strangers. That stranger may be your co-worker’s mother or father that is being abused. We need to get more involved and do our part while we can.

In my closing I have to say, I truly enjoyed talking to all of you and being able to answer all of your questions. I especially enjoyed the one on one conversations I had with some of my account representatives such as, Cindy Brown-MD, Kelli Brookshire-OK, Katie Walsh-IL, Sheriff Vanessa Crawford-VA, David Minns-VA, Cary Johnson–CO, Dale Gillette–IL, and of course Mrs. Butterworth-VA. They all really expressed an enormous concern for the seniors and you could feel the warmth within each of them and that’s what it takes. You all are appreciated, thank you for making the conference a success.

“While government can open more opportunities for us to serve our communities, it is up to each of us to seize those opportunities. Thank you for your devotion to service and for doing all you can do to shape a better tomorrow for our great Nation. Your volunteer service demonstrates the kind of commitment to your community that moves America a step closer to its great promise,” said the letter signed by President Barack Obama.

Patty Ott, a representative of the Penquis Community Action Project in Rockland presented the award to Mullin at a recent holiday luncheon. “We keep track of the hours our volunteers spend and try to recognize their efforts,” Ott said. The award, called the president’s volunteer service award, is presented by the President’s council on service and civic participation. It is designed to help encourage volunteers to help their neighbors.

The Boothbay Harbor retiree was surprised. “I did not expect it and was impressed,” said Mullen.

Deborah Mullen is the leader of the Lincoln County TRIAD, a group that works with law enforcement and retirees to try to reduce crime committed on seniors and enhance the participation in law enforcement in senior activities. Focusing on unwarranted fears of crime, it helps to improve the quality of life for senior citizens.

“She is a big help with the senior citizens. There are a lot of scams out there and she has informed us about a number of them. She is a good worker. We honored her last year,” said Lincoln County Sheriff Todd Brackett as he praised Mullen.

Ott cited Mullen’s involvement in programs that merited recognition including the 911 Cell Phone Bank. This program collects old cell phones and provides them to deserving seniors, and a program where seniors were encouraged to turn in unused and outdated prescription medications to police, rather than dumping them in landfills and down the toilet.

Mullen said she has recently helped several seniors who were tricked by scammers seeking money and helped a quartet of elderly people who had trouble returning shoes to a store that had overcharged them for unneeded and expensive inserts and inner soles. Many seniors are alone and lonely. When they get a phone call seeking money, or someone comes to the door, they have to understand the person is not always a good person.

Mullen stated, “There are a lot of scams out there. They have to learn to say NO!”

During one of their home deliveries for Meals on Wheels it was brought to Deputy Cannon’s attention that the person she was visiting/delivering a meal to was clutching onto her home “land-line” phone. After a brief conversation with this client, Deputy Cannon learned that the phone was her link to safety and was her security. This particular client and many others throughout the county/state are using Life Line. This is a great program and a huge number of seniors/elderly citizens are utilizing this program all across the United States. By all means, please inform your clients and anybody you know who uses Life Line, that in the event they are without electricity, this will not be of any value to them if they are depending on a cordless phone. You must have power in order for your “cordless phone” to work. There are numerous people that are not aware of this and are relying solely on “Life Line”.

After this incident, Deputies Cannon and Ridgeway asked the Meals on Wheels drivers if they would carry around a sign-up sheet with them . During their deliveries the driver will simply ask the clients if they are in need of an emergency 911 phone and if so, they are given one at no cost and it is delivered with their meal…Safety a la Carte’…what a treat!

Please do not flush or stash your old meds. Whether your meds are over-the-counter or prescription medications they are harmful in more ways than one. Keep unused, unwanted and outdated medications (pills, ointments, and drops) out of the hands of children and the elderly.

Prescription • Over-the-Counter • Veterinary – All Medications should be in their original containers with labels. Please, no needles or thermometers.

If have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact Deborah Mullen at (207) 633-7874 for Lincoln County or Shirley Helms for Sagadahoc County (207) 831-8164. In addition, you may contact them if you are unable to bring your meds to the collection site, and they will have law enforcement on hand that will be glad to come by and pick them up from you home.