CRESTVIEW — The Seniors vs. Crime program was established in 1989 and is sponsored by the Florida Attorney General as a way to reinforce the message of crime prevention and to provide methods for Florida’s senior population to be alerted to consumer fraud, con games and other criminal acts.
The first office was in Delray Beach, Florida. "Our Florida Seniors vs. Crime program has grown to 1,500 senior volunteers operating out of 28 offices," a media release states.
Here’s the program’s mission statement:
To assist the Florida Attorney General in preventing crime against the elderly.
To educate seniors about consumer frauds, con games, scams and other criminal acts.
To alert seniors to criminal behavior in their area.
To provide law enforcement and regulatory agencies with Senior Sleuth volunteers to assist in investigations.
To assist senior victims through volunteer mediation services, mentoring or referral to another help or law enforcement agency, and
To promote senior involvement with law enforcement for the protection, well being, and peace of mind of seniors.
"We are the Seniors vs. Crime Office of Crestview," the release states. "We handle complaints from clients within Okaloosa, Walton, Jackson, Holmes and Bay countries of Florida. Complaints may be made against people, organizations or businesses within or outside of Florida.
"We are located at 296 South Ferdon Blvd., Suite 8, Crestview, Florida 32536. Our office hours are 10 a.m. through 12 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays and our phone numbers are 850-306-3176 or 306-3177."
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Seniors vs. Crime Program accepting reports