By Sharon E. Siegel

PORT JERVIS — Port Jervis Police Department Police Officer Kara Angeloni, who is also her department’s Crime Prevention Officer, is promoting a new PJPD community program that has aided at-risk populations in other communities.  The program, which has been recently implemented, is meant to provide immediate reassurance for anyone who has ever had to worry about a loved one’s safety due to health, age, or disability.

Persons At-Risk (PAR) is a program which utilizes a registry maintained by police for persons deemed “at risk” in their community.  Should an emergency arise involving registered individuals, police have immediate access to confidential information which may be utilized to quickly assist them.

“These persons would include individuals with dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, physical or mental handicaps, or anyone with any type of communication issue,” explained Angeloni.  “In general, these would be persons who may not be able to provide police or other persons attempting to aid them with the information needed to get them back home, such as their name, address, or contact information.”

Angeloni, who also helps to maintain a confidential registry of Neighborhood Watch members throughout the city, said the PAR registry is a free service and is held in the strictest of confidence.  To register, family members simply fill out a brief questionnaire and provide a recent photo for reference.

Angeloni has personally responded to past calls in which PAR would have greatly helped.  This is why, when she was researching safety issues for senior citizens and came across PAR in New Jersey, she immediately saw the benefit for her department’s Tri-States community.

“During the course of my career, I have handled numerous calls of this nature and have always seen the need for this type of program,” said Angeloni.  ‘Personally, my most recent situation was with a three-year old boy with autism who was found running down Ball Street at 2:30 in the morning.  The child was non-communicative and it took over an hour to locate his parent.  In this event, had the child been registered we could have consulted the registry and quickly made contact with a family member.”

While the registry is maintained for police use only, it will be made available as needed for consultation by neighboring police agencies, such as Town of Deerpark, Westfall, and Montague Police Departments.

“Persons at-risk often wander or take transportation from one area to another,” explained Angeloni.   “With cases such as Alzheimer’s, the person may be able to tell you an address, but it could be an address from 20 years ago, not their current address.”

She noted that persons are often found in areas not near their home, and for various reasons are frequently brought to PJPD.

“For example, several years ago a good samaritan found an elderly lady walking on Route 209 in Huguenot in the early morning hours and brought her to our station,” she recalled.  “We were the only local police department open twenty-four/seven and able to assist her.”

Angeloni stressed the value of the PAR registry in these cases.  She suggested that anyone who sees a benefit in registering a loved one for this free confidential program should do so.  For additional information, or to enroll in the program, complete the attached form or contact Angeloni at the Port Jervis police station at 845-856-5101.