DeWitt County Sheriff Jered Shofner has been diligently working the six months to begin what is being called the DeWitt County Triad program.

The DeWitt County Triad has teamed up with other DeWitt County organizations and law enforcement entities in this effort. Sheriff Shofner explains the Triad is geared specifically at crimes that target the senior citizen population.

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A survey was put together by the Sheriff's Department, then administered by them and other organizations that aid seniors throughout the County. The Sheriff says as a law enforcement official, he can see the trends happening, but sometimes it helps to get the perspective of those that are the targets.

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The biggest threat many seniors face in today's world is the threat of being scammed. Sheriff Shofner says while seniors cannot be warned of each individual scam happening, he wants to keep them informed of the things to look for and raise awareness of ways to keep them protected.

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Another focus of the group is health needs and bringing a "File of Life" in each home with a senior in it. Sheriff Shofner explains a "File of Life" is a bright red refridgerator magnet that contains a sheet of paper with the individual seniors medical records, so when emergency crews arrive, they can have access to that, and the Sheriff feels that could be a life saver for many people.

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The Triad program does require a some funding to make possible and Sheriff Shofner says they have been fortunate to have several businesses and organizations step up to help in their efforts, which he says he appreciates.

This is not an idea the Sheriff or his crew came up with. He says there are many successful programs like this all over the state and country. Sheriff Shofner says they met with many law enforcement agencies around central Illinois to find what things they had in place and how to get this going.