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TRIAD is a national program, which embraces a three-fold cooperative effort between the International Association of Chief’s of Police, the National Sheriff’s Association and the American Association of Retired Persons to support crime prevention initiatives for senior citizens.

The primary goal of this program is to reduce the criminal victimization of the elderly while enhancing law enforcement services to this growing segment of our population. TRIAD provides a platform for seniors to exchange information with the police to reduce unwarranted fear of crime.

The White Bear Lake Area TRIAD program was created by the Police Department which recognized the impacts of victimization of senior citizens and the importance of the law enforcement role in preventing it.

In June 1995, TRIAD held it’s first meeting with the 20 senior citizens, which comprised the SALT Council (Seniors and Law Enforcement Together). Four members were then elected to the Steering Committee (Advisory Council).

Input and advice is provided to local seniors through the TRIAD Brochure, Senior dance, Senior summer picnic, a Crime Prevention booth at Marketfest, direct voice mail phone line at the White Bear Lake Police Department, infomercials on the local cable channel and a monthly column in the Senior Voice Newsletter. New ideas are always welcome on how to generate more publicity for the TRIAD program.

So why is the Triad program so important? Seniors are the most rapidly growing segment of our population in White Bear Lake, Minnesota and in our country. Today there are 33.6 million Americans age 65 or older. As life expectancy continues to increase, this number is expected to climb to 65.5 million by the year 2030. Our seniors tend to be very trusting, very willing to help and tend to have available funds. These factors make seniors the primary victims for many criminals.

The White Bear Lake Police Department contact for the Triad Program is Officer Jennifer Kraus.  You may contact him at 651-429-8551, or by e-mail at jkraus@whitebearlake.org