A South Jersey sheriff’s office program is helping older residents with free safety and security checks

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When Willingboro resident Joe Calloway found out the Burlington County Sheriff’s Office had a home safety and security inspections program, he thought it was a good idea and signed up for it.

“It was free of charge, and I was informed that if any of my smoke detectors or carbon monoxide detectors are expired, they’ll replace them free,” he said.

The 78-year-old, who lives with his wife, Lynne, and their three cats, said when the inspectors arrived, the first thing they inquired about was the length of the screws that were holding his front-door-lock faceplate in place.

“I said 3 to 4 inches, he said great, that’s what you should look for, something that long,” he said. “That’s because when you buy a lock system, the faceplate screws that come with it are probably a half an inch. He said a person can actually hit the door hard enough to pull those screws right out.”

What the program offers

Burlington County Sheriff James Kostoplis said the inspection program is offered free to all residents 60 or older and to those with disabilities.

He said security specialists go into homes and do a complete inspection, checking to see if all doors and windows have proper locking mechanisms, if sliding doors have security bars and if the home has working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

“They also inspect outside and they check for security risks, for example poor lighting and any other hazard that they recognize outside,” he said.

Calloway said the sheriff’s department inspector confirmed that an alarm system he had installed was functioning properly, and during an outside check of his home, one of the inspectors recommended he lower the height of his front bushes, so that no one could crouch down and hide under them.

More than just an inspection

Calloway said the inspectors also went up to the roof because he had a leak on his ceiling.

“They went up on my roof to see what they could find, if they could see any loose tiles or anything, and they did and he actually nailed it down,” he said.

Kostoplis said the specialists will frequently make minor repairs at the homes they inspect, install security upgrades and give homeowners improvement suggestions without charge.

He said older adults and those with disabilities are also given flashlights for emergencies such as power outages. Last year, specialists inspected 230 homes, and so far this year, 164 houses have been checked.

“The seniors are the backbone of our population pretty much, they’ve seen and done it all, we look to them for advice, I know I do, they deserve everything that we can give them,” Kostolis said.

Providing great services

Calloway, who has lived in Willingboro for more than 40 years, said he’s glad he asked for the inspection.

“They do help a lot of the seniors,” he said. “They also recommended buying shatter-proof windows, explain how crooks operate and how to protect yourself. I feel more secure, and if you bring in a security consultant, it would cost thousands of dollars.”

Kostoplis said the sheriff’s department also conducts a police academy for older residents, teaching them about law enforcement functions, scam prevention and the work of the K-9 bomb-detection unit.

He said a separate program collects cellphones that are no longer being used by county residents. The phones are “wiped” to remove all personal information, programmed to call 911, then given to older adults who do not have cellphones so they can call for help in an emergency.