‘Trusted source’: Local seniors get involved in community policing initiative
Published 9:30 am Wednesday, July 10, 2024
- Henry and Marsha White pose with their Boykin Spaniel Freddie in 2022. Henry White has been the chairman of the Limestone County TRIAD organization for the past 15 years.
Since 1988, Limestone County Triad and SALT (Seniors and Lawmen Together) has given senior citizens the opportunity to have their crime and safety needs heard by directly connecting them with the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office and the Athens Police Department.
Triad meets with local law enforcement once every month, hearing reports of various incidents in the community while also lending their voices on certain issues that have raised concerns amongst seniors in the area.
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“They are a really great group of people who are very supportive of all the law enforcement in the area,” Athens Police Chief Anthony Pressnell said. “If something is ever going on in the community we need to know about, they have been a trusted source of information we can rely on. We are very glad to be associated with them.”
According to Pressnell, Triad will hold its annual breakfast for first responders in September. The meal is just one of the many events the group holds each year as a way to reinforce the relationships between law enforcement, seniors and the community.
Henry White, the chairman of the local Triad chapter, highlighted the importance of the first responders breakfast, as well as some of the other projects the organization is currently working on.
“The big breakfast is a way for us to honor all the law enforcement personnel, EMTs, judges and elected officials,” White said. “It’s our way of letting them know we appreciate them, while also sharing some ideas we have with the different department heads.”
In the past, Triad has hosted various events to help raise money for different fundraising projects going on across Athens and Limestone County. Previous events included gospel singings and firearm auctions — this year the organization will prepare Christmas baskets and gift cards for disadvantaged seniors.
“Just because we are on up in the years doesn’t mean we can’t help,” White said. “This organization is solely concerned with the safety and well-being of our senior population. What is good for seniors is good for all the rest of our citizens.”
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The organization has also funded Project Lifesaver at the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office, a free program designed to help track and locate people with an altered mental status — alzheimer’s, dementia and autism.
According to Blake Allison, Project Lifesaver coordinator for the Sheriff’s Office, the funding from Triad has allowed Limestone County to obtain 24 radio transmitting bracelets and two state-of-the-art locating devices.
“We have a lot of kids with autism on it, and if they wander off, this allows us to find them much easier,” Allison, who has spent nearly 20 years on the force with Limestone County, said. “It turns searches that would take hours, or even days, into minutes. This is an extremely helpful tool for caregivers to have.”
Thanks to the funds from Triad and SALT, several bracelets would come at no cost to the families or caregivers who apply for them. For more information, and to apply for Project Lifesaver, visit the Limestone County Sheriff’s Office at 101 West Elm Street or call (256)-232-0111.
Limestone County Triad and SALT are still not complete with the work they have done so far, as they are looking to grow their organization to new heights. Now, the group can have as many as 25 members, but no fewer than 12 at one time.
“Elkmont and Ardmore have police departments we tried to reach out to, and we are looking forward to possibly working with them in the future,” White said. “We are looking to expand really throughout the whole county to better represent the seniors of this community.”