By Daily Press staff
The Santa Monica Police Department is offering the community a new service that is aimed to give greater peace of mind to the city’s senior citizens, their families and caregivers.
The City of Santa Monica in 2000 received grant funding from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, a division of the U.S. Department of Justice. The Santa Monica City Council has designated a portion of the funds to create an automated personal identification registry. The registry will be strictly confidential and for the exclusive use of Santa Monica police officers to search for characteristics that match those of the lost person. The registry will reduce the time it takes to identify a person and notify the caregiver. The program is entirely voluntary.
“From time to time, our officers are called upon to assist lost senior citizens. Often, these individuals are disoriented and unable to remember their names or where they live,” said SMPD Chief James T. Butts Jr. “They sometimes experience a long wait while the officers try to identify and return them to the safety and comfort of their home. “ If you one like to be registered someone in this identification program, contact Brenda Sweet, the project coordinator, for the forms, at (310) 458-8451 or e-mail
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 26, 2002. Read the original PDF.