CRIME AND THE ELDERLY: WHAT YOUR - COMMUNITY CAN DO HEARING BEFORE THE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON AGING UNITED STATES SENATE NINETY-SIXTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION ALBUQUERQUE, N. MEX. JUNE 23, 1980 Printed for the use of the Special Committee on Aging U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 684-230 WASHINGTON: 1981 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 20402 SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON AGING LAWTON CHILES, Florida, Chairman FRANK CHURCH, Idaho PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico JOHN GLENN, Ohio CHARLES H. PERCY, Illinois JOHN MELCHER, Montana JOHN HEINZ, Pennsylvania DAVID PRYOR, Arkansas NANCY LANDON KASSEBAUM, Kansas BILL BRADLEY, New Jersey WILLIAM S. COHEN, Maine QUENTIN N. BUBDICK, North Dakota E. BENTLEY LIPsCOMB, Staff Director JOHN A. EDIE, Chief 0ounsel DAVID A; RUeT, Minority ftaff Director (U) CONTENTS Page Opening statement by Senator Pete V. Domenici, presiding- 1 Statement of Hon. Manuel Lujan, Jr., a Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives from the First District of New Mexico - 3 CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF WITNESSES Ramming, John W., Santa Fe, N. Mex., special assistant, State of New Mexico Criminal Justice Department - 4 De Baca, Richard C., Santa Fe, N. Mex., deputy chief, New Mexico State Police Department -- _ _ _- _ 5 Slater, Stephen L., Santa Fe, N. Mex., director, New Mexico Law En- forcement Academy- 6 Carmichael, C. E. "Mike," Santa Fe, N. Mex., representing National Re- tired Teachers Association/American Association of Retired Persons--- 8 Robison, Kenneth W., Albuquerque, N. Mex., State director, American Association of Retired Persons -_-----_- __-__-_-_-__-_-_ 8 Johnson Dr John S., Las Vegas, N. Mex., State director, National Re- tired Teachers Association -_------_ ------- __ -_ 9 Lee, Fairbanks, Belen, N. Mex., representing New Mexico Federation of Chapters, National Association of Retired Federal Employees -_ 10 Carmichael, C. E. "Mike"-continued - _-_-_-_-_-__-_ 11 Murphy, John P., director, Rio Grande Elderly Crime Stoppers, Albu- querque, N. Mex - 13 Coates, Elsie A., Albuquerque, N. Mex - _-_-_-_-__-___-_-_-_-_ 15 Pino, Mandy, coordinator of information and referral, Office of Senior Affairs, city of Albuquerque, N. Mex - __-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ 16 Barcheck, Donald R., Santa Fe, N. Mex., coordinator, crime prevention program, New Mexico State Agency on Aging - _-__-__-_-__ 18 Montoya, Ronald T., director, Office of Senior Affairs, Albuquerque, N. Mex., Office on Aging -_------_--_--------__ ---__-__ -_-_ -_ 21 Haywood, Mary Lou, coordinator, Crime Prevention Council, Albuquer- que, N. Mex., and acting chairperson, New Mexico Crime Prevention Association - _------ __-------- _-------- _-- _------- 28 Maes, Rita B., director, senior citizens program, city and county of Santa Fe, N. Mex -__--_--__ ------ _------------ _------ 34 Chacon Officer Philip, Albuquerque, N. Mex. Police Department ------- 36 Schmerheim, Chief Robert L., Farmington, N. Mex., Police Department. 40 Carpenter, Sheriff Bill, Roswell County, N. Mex - _-_-_-_-_- _-_ 42 Lockhart, Nancy J., crime prevention officer, Clovis, N. Mex., Police Department-- _------------------__--_------_---------- 45 Parry, Madeline L., Artesia, N. Mex - _-__-_-_-_-____-___-_ 49 De Puy, Barbara G., staff assistant, Social Security Administration, Albu- querque, N. Mex -__--__--------_-- _--__----__--_--_-_-_-_ 50 Koletar, Frank, Albuquerque, N. Mex-- _-_-_-_-___-__-___-___-_ 51 APPENDIXES Appendix 1. Material related to hearing: Item 1. Letters from purse-snatching victims Nellie Kaap, Edith D. Culver, and Johanna M. Nagler, to C. E. "Mike" Carmichael 53 Item 2. Rio Grande Elderly Crime Stoppers Program, submitted by John P. Murphy-- _---- _------------------ 55 Item 3. Newspaper articles dealing with elderly crime victimization, submitted by John P. Murphy -_-----_-_-_-_-_ 56 Item 4. Booklets and pamphlets dealing with crime prevention, sub- mitted by Mary Lou Haywood -__---- _-_-_-_-_-____ 62 Item 5. Albuquerque Police Department victims assistance -__-____ 98 (m) IV Item 6. Crime prevention concepts, submitted by Officer Phil Chacon, Albuquerque, N. Mex., Police Department - _-_-_-_-_-_-_ 106 Item 7. Radio spot announcements and other material used in crime prevention, submitted by Sheriff Bill Carpenter, Roswell County, N. Mex - i111 Item 8. Newspaper article from the Clovis, N. Mex., News-Journal, submitted by Nancy J. Lockhart, crime prevention officer, Clovis, N. Mex., Police Department - 149 Item 9. Letter from Mac (Clarence) Maguire, manager, Consuelo Activity Center, Santa Fe, N. Mex., to Rita B. Maes, director, senior citizens program, city and county of Santa Fe, N. Mex., dated June 19, 1980 - -------------------------------------- 150 Item 10. Letter from Mark Rogers, coordinator, Southwest New Mexico Council of Governments, Deming, N. Mex., to Senator Pete V. Domenici, dated June 17, 1980 - 152 Appendix 2. Statements submitted by the hearing audience: Caprez, Mrs. M., Albuquerque, N. Mex -_-_-_- _ 153 Grant, Fern, Albuquerque, N. Mex -_-__-_- _ 153 Moore, Robert L., Albuquerque, N. Mex - 153 Stone, James, Gallup, N. Mex -_------_-_-_-__ 153 Van Winkle, Grace, Albuquerque, N. Mex -_-_-_-__-_-_-_ 154 CRIME AND THE ELDERLY: WHAT YOUR COMMUNITY CAN DO MONDAY, JUNE 23, 1980 U.S. SENATE, SPECIAL CoMMITTEE ON AGING, Albuquerqu, N. Mew. The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9 a.m., in the downtown public library, Hon. Pete V. Domenici presiding. Present: Senator Domenici and Congressman Manuel Lujan, Jr. Also present: E. Bentley Lipscomb, staff director; David A. Rust, minority staff director; Tony Arroyos, minority professional staff member; and Christina M. Green, minority clerical assistant. OPENING STATEMENT BY SENATOR PETE V. DOXENICI, PRESIDING Senator DoMExNcI. Will the hearing please come to order. This is an exciting day for the Senate Special Committee on Aging. We are trying to gather information that will help us in the U.S. Sen- ate as we look toward next year and the reauthorization of the Older Americans Act, and as we examine various other Federal programs that are directed at helping our senior citizens. We have asked experts from around the country and local experts from our communities to come and tell us what communities, cities, counties, and agencies of State government are doing to focus atten- tion on crime a~id the elderly. This afternoon, we will have only a few minutes where the com- mittee will participate. Then we will conduct a workshop at which those who are involved in handling crime and the elderly under various programs in our country will exchange views with New Mexico law enforcement people and New Mexico volunteer organizations who also deal with crime and the elderly. Our hope is that two significant bene- fits will be derived from this encounter. The Senate will have a record of how serious crime is for the elderly, where we find it and in what areas, and what can be done about it. The second hope is that this hear- ing will promote an enthusiastic exchange of ideas as a result of the testimony of experts who are participating in local community or statewide activities. This will enable people in the State to have a greater sensitivity about crime and the elderly. But aging professionals are not the only ones who will benefit from this comprehensive approach. Volunteer oranizations that have the capacity to work with law enforcement ofcials and work with senior citizens mnay also profit in their ability to assist elderly citizens to deal with crime. (1) 2 I am very pleased to have Congressman Lujan present today. He is going to open the hearing with me. He has a time schedule of his own, but I want to say to him that I am very appreciative that he could come and join us. I know of your genuine concern for the elderly, Congressman, not only in our State, but on a national level. I had an opening statement which I think I will just have made a part of the record. [The prepared statement of Senator Domenici follows:] PREPARED STATEMENT OF SENATOR PETE V. DOMENICI Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to be here in Albuquerque this morning to discuss the problem of crime and the elderly. This hearing and the workshop that follows are intended to provide the Senate Special Committee on Aging with the information we need to begin a thorough examination of crime against the elderly and the positive preventive steps which can be taken to minimize this problem. Before I go on, I would like to acknowledge that this all-day hearing and work- shop are being held in conjunction with the American Association of Retired Persons/National Retired Teachers Association, the New Mexico Law Enforce- ment Academy, and the New Mexico State Agency on Aging. These organizations and agencies share my belief that we need to explore crime and crime prevention techniques as they affect older persons. It is my understanding that this is the first time in the history of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging that a formal hearing has been held on the topic of crime and the elderly. There is no question in my mind but that criminal victimization remains a continuing problem for older Americans. When we consider older persons and crime, two key factors come into play. First, the elderly person's heightened vulnerability and, second, the fear that flows from awareness of their condition. For example, among urban elderly public housing residents, the fear factor is many times higher than the actual crime rate. While available statistics indicate that the elderly are the targets of crimes less often than younger persons, there is also a general consensus among author- ities that: Criminal attacks have a more devastating impact upon the elderly; physical injuries are slower to heal; greater psychological distress results; and economic losses are more difficult to recoup.