Many politicians (local, state, and federal) seem forever confused by the lack of
participation in all the special projects they've created to help older crime
victims. Why, they wonder, do these seniors not partake in all that is offered?
Minus all the polite euphemisms, most programs fail for two reasons. First, many
are not needed, and those that could do some good are poorly designed. Seniors, at
least the ones I know, are not looking for handouts. It appears that many of us
failed to notice that older adults hold most of this nation's wealth, own the most
land, and are able to provide for themselves, thank you. Rather than handouts, we
have a vast number of seniors who are looking to help out, but for various reasons
their offers are ignored.
Another reason these let's help grandma and grandpa programs receive scant
participation has to do with longevity. Older adults who could make use of any
given service have learned through experience not to become dependent on them
because they won’t last. I have personally assisted attorney generals, state
senators, and other politicians with creating crime prevention programs that worked
as advertised. This success, however, always ended once the politician failed to
win reelection. Newly elected officials often treat with disdain any programs
created by their predecessor. Such programs are then terminated or ignored and left
to die a slow but certain death.
Here’s an example of what I’m talking about. In my hometown of Milwaukee, our
police department was responsible for researching and implementing many senior crime
prevention programs. Most of those programs were so successful they became national
models. This success was accomplished using a minimum of police resources and
involved a coordinated effort with all aspects of the criminal justice system. Our
Senior Citizen Assault Prevention Unit worked with senior citizen volunteer
groups, national organizations such as AAPP, and various other government, academic,
and health care organizations. This coordinated effort led to immediate and
impressive results. Crimes against older adults were drastically reduced, criminals
who specialized in victimizing this particular age group were identified and held
accountable, and Milwaukee suddenly became known by the criminals as a place to
avoid.
As you might have guessed, this wonderful program no longer exists. Having gone
through several police chiefs since its inception, the Senior Citizen Unit was
reduced to a unit in name only. Most of the unit officers received reassignment to
other duties, and those that remained suddenly faced far more work than they could
handle. The only reason any of the unit remains is because of concerned community
leaders who were outraged at the prospect of shelving such a viable and needed
service. All of which means, it's better to pretend the unit exists than to announce
its complete demise.
RECIPE FOR DISASTER: If you want to design a program that is destined to failure, then
here's an easy plan. (1)
Completely ignore input from the people the program intends to
assist. Sounds absurd. but this is exactly the way many programs aimed at
seniors are created. (2)
Ask people who are 20 and 30 years old, what seniors need and
want. The results won't be useful but they will be entertaining.
Anyone who has tried to get help for an older family member or
friend has no doubt experienced the aggravations involved with capturing the
attention of anyone within a bureaucracy. What you probably encountered were
sympathetic words rather than action, double-talk, and a polite invitation to take
your problems elsewhere. If someone did promise to help you, then chances are you’re
still waiting, and shall continue to wait for many months or years to come.
All of this could change if only senior citizens, old people,
the elderly, the aged, or whatever other description you care to affix to our
nation’s older adults, discover just how much political influence they have. Why
they hold such power is a topic for another article, but let me assure you the power
to get things done is within their grasp. The sheer size of this growing segment of
our population alone places them in a position of power. Add to this the support of
our nation’s news media, and politicians who fear doing anything that would offend
older adults, and you have more than enough power to bring about significant and
lasting changes.
The opinions and views
expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent
the views of Professionals Against Confidence Crime.
©Written
by: Lt. Dennis M. Marlock
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