LAFAYETTE, Ind.— In roughly two weeks' time, four victims older than 62 were targeted in robberies across the city.
While seniors citizensoften are preyed on by scammers andthieves, police and other experts say thestring of robberiesshould serveas a reminder to the morevulnerable population that violent crime remains a threat.
In most cases, the robberies occurredin the evening or at night. Suspects typically knocked on the victim's door,forced their way in and used firearms to threaten those inside.
In one case, a 76-year-old man said he was continuously beaten with a handgun as he tried to resist until another suspect stepped in tostop the assault.
"Seniors can be easily overpowered by perpetrators, and they can get their foot in the door, and you would not be able to defend against that,"said Bill Glick, executive director of The Center@Jenks Rest, which offers special events and services for seniors.
Fear of crime
Seniors were specifically targeted in at least one incident, according to police. In addition to their vulnerability,Glick added that theyoften accumulate items of valueover a number of years that could attract criminals to their homes.
"Some folks think it's saferto keep those things in the house," hesaid."But if you have valuablesthat you don't need to touch or look at on a regularbasis, they should be at a safe deposit box at a local bank."
While the recent robberies are troubling, seniors are much less likely to be victims of violent crimes compared to other age brackets, said Lt. Brian Gossard, who often discusses crime preventionat neighborhood meetings and special events.
"They are concerned with violent crime," he said, "and we try to reassure them that this is a safe community."
For example,roughly three of every 1,000 people age 65 or older were victims of violent crime nationwidein 2014, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Conversely,nearly 18 of every 1,000 people50 to 64 years old were victims of violent crime during the same year. People 25to 34years old were most likely to experience violent crime with more than 28 victims for every 1,000 people.
Despite the statistics, Gossard noted that seniors — who are more likely to read the paper, watch the news and be involved in the community—are much more afraid of being a victimthan those in the "prime crime years."
"It's kind of inversely proportional, where younger people are more likely to be involved in those crimes but are less afraid of crimes in general," he said. "As you get old you kind of become more aware, you're more informed, you have a higher fear of crime."
Time for caution
Still, Hoosier hospitality reigns, he added. Most residents, for example, are more concerned ofbeingperceived as unfriendly than becominga victim.
"The vast majority of people in this community and the Midwest do not want to be rude," he said. "They will open the door, they will invite people in, and that’s the very opposite of what you want to do."
For many who grew up in a different era, thatrevelation is an unfortunate sign of the times, Glick said.
"Folks who lived here for many years would be used to being friendlyand opening the door," he said, "but now it's time for some more caution."
Gossard said seniors should go with their gut when they hear a knock at the door. If a person seems suspicious, they should talk to them through the door, call a family member or friend, or even alert police.
"When we let somebody who is strange into the house," Glick said, "it only takes a few minutes for thatstranger to scope it out and say, 'Oh, it looks like a good spot for us to come back to in the middle of the night.'"
Seniors targets of recent robberies
- A 76-year-old man said he wasbeaten with a handgun early Aug. 18 after three suspects forced their way into his home in the 600 block of North 28th Street. Adam Lane Smith, 27, Steve J. Burns II, 25, and Joseph Ira Burns, 23, were arrested and charged after a SWAT standoff later that day.
- A 70-year-old woman said she was pushed to the ground and her purse was stolen Aug. 20 as she loaded groceries into car outside a Pay Less supermarket on Maple Point Drive.
- On Aug. 27, a62-year-old woman said a suspect forced his way into her home in the 1000 block of Columbia Street, pointed a gun at her and told her he'd shoot her if she screamed. Michael Jovan Jackson Jr., 18, was charged Sept. 1 and is accused of stealing a ring from the woman's fingeras well asfirearms and ammunition.
- A 64-year-old disabled veteran said he was robbed Sept. 3 after two suspects entered his home in the 1000 block of Kensington Drive.
