Serving the Most Vulnerable – Smart 911

The Naples community is fortunate to be the beneficiary of a variety of programs offered by the Collier County Sheriff ’s Office. Services run the gamut from drug education, trafficking, Youth Relations Officers, Victim and Witness Assistance and a speaker’s forum. Actually the list is so extensive that it is not possible to be inclusive in one brief article. One program that may not be as well-known are the services that fall under the Senior Advocacy Unit. Angela Larson the Supervisor with the Victim and Senior Advocacy Unit shared the following information.

“See It

Say It”

These magnets encourage residents to contact law enforcement when they see anything suspicious. This might be people walking between homes late at night or hearing glass breaking at a vacant nearby home.

File of Life

This is a form that when completed has an individual’s medical information which is then placed within a magnetic pouch on the refrigerator. This information is of extreme value to first responders when the client or caregiver is unable to give vital information in a medical emergency. The completed form will contain current medications, medical history and physician information. The Sheriff ’s office provides about 6,000 File of Life’s to the community a year.

Smart 9-1-1

(www.smart911.com) is another way to get vital information into the hands of emergency responders. By enrolling online in this free and secure program the information becomes available to dispatchers who then relay the data to first responders on route to the scene.

Victim and Senior

Advocacy Unit

This unit will provide specialized programs for older residents such as Senior Connection. Volunteers call participants who live alone every weekday to ensure that they are okay. Project Lifesaver which includes participants with Alzheimer’s or dementia, who have or are likely to wander from caregivers wear a bracelet that can be tracked. If the individual becomes lost the CCSO have a better chance of reuniting them with their loved ones.

Educational programs such as identity theft, scams and frauds are also part of this service.

These are free presentation which can be arranged to benefit any group through the Senior Advocacy Unit or Crime Prevention Unit. Angela is a dynamitic speaker who will hold your attention while providing this enlightening information. Currently this department offers on the average of 45 presentations a year. To reach Supervisor Angela Larson at the Collier County Sheriff ’s Office phone 239.252.0720.