Need someone to check in during the pandemic? The Lancaster Police Department will help you.
Feeling lonely during the pandemic? Need someone to check on an elderly or vulnerable family member? For those within Lancaster city limits, the police department wants to help.
“Operation Drop-In” will begin the week of Sept. 20. Through this program, the LPD will send an officer to visit elderly and vulnerable residents at least once a week, Public Information Officer Kayla Vaughn said.
Following social distancing guidelines and wearing masks, officers will drop in and check on residents who sign up for the program, to ensure their well-being and offer the comfort of interaction, Vaughn said.
Residents also can sign up relatives who they are unable to check on themselves -- with that relative’s consent.
What a visit looks like is up to the resident. If they just want a quick check in, the officer will ensure their safety and leave.
If the resident wants to invite the officer in for a few minutes, officers are prepared to spend a little time.
“Just to make sure you’re OK,” Vaughn said. “It’s nice to have that interaction.”
The program was the idea of Lancaster Police Chief Scott Grant, Vaughn told the Herald. Lancaster has a lot of elderly people who live by themselves, she said, and Scott wanted to give back to that community.
“It’s something new and it’s something simple, but I think it’s something we can do to better take care of the folks right here in our city,” Grant said in a press release.
Elderly and vulnerable adults who live within the Lancaster city limits can sign themselves up for visits. Close relatives also can sign up their loved ones.
Anyone interested can reach Kayla Vaughn by phone at (803) 804-0622 or by email at kvaughn@lancastercitysc.com. They also can private message the Lancaster Police Department on Facebook.
To sign up, provide the name, address and phone number of the person who needs a visit. In case LPD needs to contact a family member during an emergency, also provide the phone number of an emergency contact.
