Safe Seniors Camera Program Seeks To Protect the Elderly

Under the Safe Seniors Camera Program, Wisconsin's Department of Justice will provide covert cameras and memory cards to citizens for 30 days through local partner law enforcement agencies. Program participants are interviewed and sign a contract, requiring them to save recordings daily and report caretaker misconduct to a local law enforcement agency or the Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation. The cameras do not record audio, only video. This program does not include nursing homes and other care facilities with multiple patients. The need for such a program became evident when groups that provide professional services to seniors reported data to show that one in nine seniors has been a victim of abuse, neglect, or some type of exploitation in the last 12 months. The state announced the launching of the camera program in February 2018. Seven law enforcement agencies in eastern Wisconsin are participating in the pilot program. It was welcomed by organizations that serve the elderly. As of late March, however, no citizens had signed up for the program. This suggests that the state may need to improve promotion of the program.