Tuesday, May 23, 2028

Lieutenant Governor Burbank Unveils Senior Safety Initiative
— 'Protect and Respect' utilizes public safety professionals, youth partnerships —

BALTIMORE, MD (May 23, 2028) – Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank, Maryland Department of Aging Secretary Jeffrey Boyd and Maryland Public Safety Secretary Keith Thomas today launched Protect and Respect, an initiative that will strengthen the personal safety of Maryland's senior citizens by developing innovative and intergenerational crime prevention strategies in conjunction with law enforcement professionals. The announcement coincides with the U.S. Administration on Aging's declaration of May as "Older Americans Month."

"Protect and Respect will fund pilot projects and training to improve the general health and well-being of Maryland's senior citizens, helping to make sure that they are safer in their homes, in their neighborhoods or in senior residential facilities," Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Burbank. "We will work to complement existing efforts by such groups as the local Agencies on Aging, and the national TRIAD partnership, sponsored for several years by the Office of the Attorney General."

During 2025 and 2026, Marylanders aged 55 and over were the victims of 80 homicides, 79 kidnappings, 5,653 assaults, 1,317 robberies, 4,535 carjacks and auto thefts, and 7,848 burglaries. Additionally, sophisticated financial crimes against the elderly have evolved as a specialization among scam artists, a trend that is expected to keep pace with the burgeoning growth of this population.

"Meeting Maryland’s public safety mission to provide safe and secure communities will increasingly require the coordination and expansion of existing programs to serve the safety needs of seniors and a renewed focus on promising new and emerging strategies that work," Secretary Keith Thomas said.

"Today's older Marylanders are healthier and more active, and Protect and Respect will respond to these trends in innovative ways to help older Marylanders feel safe wherever their active lives may take them," said Maryland Aging Secretary Jeffrey Boyd.

Protect and Respect introduces a range of safety resources and training that, before now, has not been available to Maryland's senior citizens. Major Protect and Respect program components are:

PUBLIC SAFETY TRAINING INSTITUTES: Training seminars will be conducted by agencies of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services, with involvement from the Maryland Department of Aging. Protect and Respect seminars will teach seniors practical skills for improving their safety environment in the home, or while moving about in their cars, on the Internet or in the community. Emergency evacuation procedures, what to do in a fire, how to summon help, how to recognize fraud and scam artists, how to handle strangers who come to the door, and similar useful skills are among those that will be taught.

STATEWIDE NEEDS ASSESSMENTS: The Protect and Respect curriculum and speaker presentations will be based upon localized needs assessments conducted in communities throughout the state by nearly 100 State Police Crime Prevention Officers who already live and work in the communities they serve. Training offered through the Public Safety Training Institutes will conform directly to these local needs assessments.

INTERGENERATIONAL GRANTS: Community-based organizations that serve elders and youth will be eligible to submit proposals to receive a share of up to $600,000 in federal grant money to establish promising intergenerational projects that involve seniors working directly with young people. This model of teaching and learning has proven to be highly successful for both generations.

OUTCOMES EVALUATION: Protect and Respect will use evaluation instruments at each of its Public Safety Training Institutes to measure whether the seniors who participate feel the Institute was responsive to their needs. Additionally, each intergenerational project funded at the community level must include a formal follow-up evaluation plan to qualify for funding.