GAO-05-146R Triad Program 

United States Government Accountability Office

Washington, DC 20548 

November 23, 2004 

The Honorable Orin G. Hatch 

Chairman 

The Honorable Patrick J. Leahy

Ranking Minority Member 

Committee on the Judiciary 

United States Senate 

The Honorable F. James Sensenbrenner Jr. 

Chairman 

The Honorable John Conyers Jr.

Ranking Minority Member 

Committee on the Judiciary 

House of Representatives 

Subject: The Protecting Seniors from Fraud Act: Status of the Triad Program

The Protecting Seniors from Fraud Act of 2000 directed the Comptroller General to 

submit a report to Congress on the effectiveness of the Triad program by April 4, 

2005.1

 The program, sponsored at the national level by the National Sheriffs’ 

Association (NSA), provides advice, training, and technical assistance to communitybased crime prevention programs for senior citizens but does not fund them. These 

community-based groups typically are partnerships among local law enforcement 

officials, seniors, and sometimes other community members to develop and expand 

crime prevention programs for seniors in their communities. NSA has sponsored the 

Triad program with funds provided by various Department of Justice (DOJ) grants.2

 

The act’s provisions included support for the Triad senior fraud prevention program, 

the dissemination of information to states to raise awareness about the dangers of 

telemarketing and sweepstakes fraud, and mandates to study crimes against seniors 

and to collect statistics on crimes disproportionately affecting seniors. With regard to 

our report, the act specified that it include an analysis of the Triad program and 

activities, identify impediments to establishing community-based Triad groups across 

the nation, and make recommendations to improve the effectiveness of the Triad 

 

1

The Protecting Seniors from Fraud Act was passed by Congress on November 22, 2000, as P.L. 106-534 (2000). Section 3 of the 

act required that the Comptroller General submit a report to Congress 180 days prior to the expiration of the authorization under 

the act (i.e., the end of fiscal year 2005 or September 30, 2005), which we calculate to be April 4, 2005. 

2

NSA is a nonprofit national organization of law enforcement and criminal justice professionals, including sheriffs and their 

deputies, and chiefs of police. NSA’s goal is to raise the level of professionalism among those in the criminal justice field.
Page 2 GAO-05-146R Triad Program

program. In January 2004, NSA received grant funds to continue its Triad program. 

However, by October 2004, an NSA official told us that they had not completed all 

their planned activities. In addition, data were not available to determine the 

effectiveness of the Triad program. Therefore, this letter describes (1) how the Triad 

program operates at the local level and (2) the current status of NSA’s program 

implementation. In addition, we are providing information on the status of DOJ 

mandates in the act regarding data on certain crimes against seniors (see enclosure 

I). 

To describe how the Triad program operates and the status of NSA’s program 

implementation, we interviewed knowledgeable federal officials familiar with, or 

responsible for, the Triad program, NSA officials, and representatives from national 

associations affiliated with the Triad program. We also gathered and summarized 

documents regarding the Triad program, including handbooks, conference brochures, 

and Web-based information published by NSA. We also interviewed representatives 

of two local Triad groups to better understand how some local programs operate. To 

determine the status of the DOJ mandates in the act, we interviewed officials from 

DOJ’s National Institute of Justice and Bureau of Justice Statistics. We asked officials 

from DOJ and NSA to review excerpts of this letter for accuracy and clarity before its 

final issuance and these officials agreed with the information as presented. We 

performed our work between June and November 2004. 

Background 

According to NSA publications, the Triad program goals are to prevent criminal 

victimization of older persons and reduce unwarranted fear of crime through 

partnerships among law enforcement agencies and criminal justice and senior citizen 

groups. The Triad program was conceived at the national level in 1988 when 

representatives from AARP, the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), 

and NSA agreed to partner to help ensure senior safety.3

 The term “Triad” derives 

from the affiliation of these three organizations. At that time, representatives from 

these organizations agreed that a community-based partnership of law enforcement, 

seniors, and others working together could reduce crimes against seniors by 

increasing crime awareness and information sharing among seniors, and enhancing 

law enforcement services to seniors. The first local, community-based Triad was 

established in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, in 1989. 

By the mid-1990s, AARP and IACP had decided to curtail active involvement at the 

national level. AARP and IACP representatives told us that at that time, their 

organizational priorities had shifted to other projects. NSA, however, remained active 

in sponsoring the Triad program and received several DOJ grants in varying 

amounts.4

 These grants supported various efforts over the years to develop and 

 

3

AARP was formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons. 

4

DOJ officials identified two of the most recent grants to NSA for the Triad program. Starting in fiscal year 1997, BJA awarded 

grants to NSA under the Edward Byrne Memorial State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance Programs, 42 U.S.C. §§ 3750- 3766b, and NSA used these grant funds totaling $1,140,000 to, among other things, sponsor 13 training conferences, publish a 

Triad implementation manual, and produce a training video. In fiscal year 2002, NSA received a grant of $200,000 from DOJ’s 

Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) office, which supported a national Triad conference, 10 state conferences and 

participation in events sponsored by other national associations, the development of a Triad Web site, and the development of 

magazine articles and congressional testimony. COPS awarded this grant under Title I of the Violent Crime Control and Law 

Enforcement Act of 1994, 42 U.S.C. §§3796dd-3796dd-8.
Page 3 GAO-05-146R Triad Program

expand the Triad program by increasing its capabilities in information sharing, 

technical assistance, and training. According to NSA publications, by 1999 there were 

an estimated 600 communities in 47 states that had started local Triad programs. That 

same year, NSA formed a tax-exempt affiliate, the National Association of Triads, Inc. 

(NATI), as a vehicle to accept charitable donations, solicit corporate support, and 

apply for foundation grants. NATI provides training and technical assistance to 

community-based senior crime prevention programs. NSA and its affiliate, NATI, do 

not provide funding to local community-based Triad groups. Local Triad groups may 

be supported with direct funding from federal, state, or local government sources, as 

well as other funding. 

In November 2000, Congress passed the Protecting Seniors from Fraud Act of 2000 

citing concerns that seniors—one of the most rapidly growing segments of our 

society—are too frequently the victims of violent crime, property crime, and 

consumer and telemarketing fraud. Congress found that seniors are often targeted 

and retargeted in a range of fraudulent schemes. The findings section of the act stated 

that Congress should continue to support Triad and similar community partnerships 

that improve safety and quality of life for seniors. Among other things, the act 

directed DOJ 

• to conduct a study relating to crimes against seniors in order to assist in 

developing new strategies to prevent and reduce the incidence of these 

crimes and 

• to include statistics in its National Crime Victimization Survey regarding 

crimes disproportionately affecting seniors, crime risk factors for seniors, 

and specific characteristics of victims of crimes who are seniors.5

How Does the Triad Program Operate at the Local Level? 

NSA publications note that local Triad groups focus on developing partnerships 

between law enforcement officials and seniors to reduce crime by increasing crime 

awareness and enhancing law enforcement services, and the structure of these 

partnerships varies by community. According to NSA’s Triad handbook, local Triad 

groups can develop and implement different programs to meet their respective 

communities’ needs regarding senior crime prevention. The handbook notes that 

some local Triad groups have developed adopt-a-senior programs, in which law 

enforcement officers “adopt” one or more seniors in vulnerable situations with 

limited family support or who are confined to their homes because of limited mobility 

or medical problems. Officers are expected to visit or call once a week and make 

referrals to appropriate service agencies if necessary. Further, the handbook cites 

other programs such as the “file of life” program, which is a brightly colored card 

with medical and other vital information to be mounted magnetically on the seniors’ 

refrigerators for use by emergency personnel. 

 

5

P.L. 106-534, sec. 5 and 6. The act also directed the Department of Health and Human Services to provide and publicly 

disseminate information to each state designed to educate seniors and raise awareness about the dangers of fraud, including 

telemarketing and sweepstakes fraud (sec. 4).
Page 4 GAO-05-146R Triad Program

According to NSA Triad publications, the structure of local Triad groups is flexible 

and can vary by the senior population and jurisdiction of law enforcement authorities 

in the geographic area. In less populated rural areas, there may be only a few law 

enforcement officers from a single organization available to be involved with Triad 

activities. In urban areas, there are potentially dozens of law enforcement agencies 

that could participate in Triad activities. NSA officials told us that in addition to 

linking law enforcement officials and seniors, local Triad groups could also include 

other community members, such as social service providers for seniors, local 

government representatives, business community members, health care providers, 

and clergy. Local Triad groups have also included officials from prosecutorial 

agencies, such as district attorneys and attorneys general. These officials have 

assisted in prosecuting crimes against seniors who have been victimized. NSA’s Triad 

handbook encourages local Triad groups to have a signed formal agreement outlining 

responsibilities for each member and to form a senior advisory council that could 

assess the needs of the community and collaboratively develop ways to meet those 

needs. Further, Triad publications state that partnerships can be formed at the city, 

county, or state level. 

NSA representatives told us that local Triad groups are one of many approaches and 

programs providing crime prevention education, awareness training, and assistance 

services to seniors at the community level. Some other crime prevention programs 

for seniors use a similar approach by creating multiagency task forces with law 

enforcement and others to combat crime against seniors. For example, multiagency 

task forces have been created to investigate financial exploitation cases and include 

local representatives from law enforcement, insurance, real estate, criminal law, 

investment, and social service providers for seniors. The NSA handbook encourages 

local Triad groups not to duplicate existing services provided in their communities, 

but to work on “filling in the gaps” in existing services, such as identifying senior 

victims who may not be reporting crimes or developing strategies to determine how 

seniors can be better served. 

What Is the Current Status of NSA’s Program Implementation? 

An NSA official told us that they are currently taking steps to support local Triad 

groups by increasing training opportunities and further expanding the number of 

communities participating in the Triad program. Specifically, in November 2003, NSA 

had received a grant in the amount of $993,497 from DOJ’s Office of Community 

Oriented Policing Services (COPS) for the Triad program, but as of October 2004, an 

NSA official told us that they had not yet implemented all of the activities outlined in 

the grant documents, such as revising the Triad handbook. This grant resulted from a 

recommendation in a House conference report accompanying the 2003 appropriation 

directing that DOJ review a proposal to provide $1 million dollars for the Triad senior 

fraud prevention program and provide a grant if warranted.6

 An across-the-board 

 

6

H. R. Conf. Rep. 108-10, accompanying the Department of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies 

Appropriations, 2003, P.L. 108-7. Although the conference report included the grant as part of the Office of Justice Program’s 

Byrne discretionary grant program, DOJ officials told us that the Triad grant was awarded by and administered through DOJ’s 

COPS office because Triad’s activities align with COPS community policing programs. 

The Protecting Seniors from Fraud Act, P.L. 106-534, the statute that requires this study on the Triad program, authorized 

appropriations for programs for the National Association of Triad in the amount of $1,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2001 
Page 5 GAO-05-146R Triad Program

rescission included in the fiscal year 2003 appropriation reduced the $1 million 

amount to $993,497.7 NSA officials told us that they began using these funds in 

January 2004. As of June 2004, NSA had expended about $182,000, or about 18 

percent of its grant funds awarded, on activities such as sponsoring conferences for 

local Triad groups, making improvements to its Web site, and revising its program 

handbook. 

As stated in NSA’s implementation plan for the grant, the objectives were to support 

local Triad groups by increasing the number of training opportunities and expand the 

number of communities participating in the Triad program. To accomplish these 

objectives, NSA outlined four initiatives: 

• Model program guides. Develop model program guides to highlight about a 

dozen model community programs that lend themselves to replication in 

other communities. These model programs include adopt-a-senior, elder 

lecture series, and senior police academies. 

• Publications and Web site. Disseminate information on Triad, including 

the Triad implementation handbook, brochures, and listing of existing 

Triad groups through hard-copy publications and its Web site. Redesign the 

Triad Web site to provide information for local Triads. 

• Information sharing and technical assistance. Sponsor conferences to 

train and assist local Triad groups and develop curricula to help law 

enforcement work with seniors and senior groups to combat financial 

crime against seniors. 

• Building community. Contact existing Triad groups to ascertain their 

status and, if they are active, capture information regarding leadership, 

programs, and activities. Develop protocols for membership or registration 

of individual local Triad groups. 

In August 2004, COPS approved a no-cost extension of the NSA grant agreement 

through August 2005 in order to complete the Triad program objectives over a longer 

time period and produce additional resource materials beyond those originally agreed 

to in the implementation plan. These materials include publishing a series of Triad 

fact sheets on the program’s Web site to increase awareness of particular issues, such 

as identity theft, elder abuse, and telemarketing fraud. As of October 2004, an NSA 

representative reported, among other things, that the Triad model program guides 

and Triad handbook were in the process of being developed, the program’s Web site 

was in the process of being redesigned, three of the four planned Triad conferences 

had been held, and eight statewide Triad conferences had been supported in varying 

degrees by NSA representatives. 

 through 2005. However, according to a COPS official, the COPS office did not fund the Triad program using this authority. 

Rather, COPS used its authority under Title 1 of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, 42 U.S.C. 

§§3796dd-3796dd-8, to award this grant.

7

Consolidated Appropriations Resolution, 2003, P.L. 108-7, Division N, sec. 601, 117 Stat. 11, 550 (2003).
Page 6 GAO-05-146R Triad Program

An NSA representative told us that by the end of the grant period, in August 2005, 

NSA expects to have an up-to-date listing of active Triad groups nationwide. The 

representative told us that NSA’s list of over 840 local Triad groups as of July 2004 

was not current, and the representative estimates that about 50 percent of these Triad 

groups are active. He said that since funding levels for the Triad program have not 

been consistent over the years, NSA has not had the staff to maintain contact with 

local Triad groups to know how many active Triad groups exist nationwide. The 

representative estimated that in addition to these local Triad groups, about 10 to 15 

statewide groups are active. 

- - - - - 

As agreed with your office, we are sending copies of this letter to the Attorney 

General, interested congressional committees, NSA, and other interested parties. We 

will also provide copies to others on request. In addition, the letter will be available at 

no charge on the GAO Web site at http://www.gao.gov. 

If you or your staff have any questions or need additional information, please contact 

me at (202) 512-8777, ekstrandl@gao.gov, or John Mortin at mortinj@gao.gov. 

Major contributors to this letter were Nancy Kawahara, Dorian Dunbar, Wil 

Holloway, Nancy Finley, and Amy Bernstein. 

Laurie E. Ekstrand 

Director, Homeland Security and Justice 

Enclosure
Page 7 GAO-05-146R Triad Program

Enclosure I 

Status of DOJ Mandates in the Protecting Seniors 

from Fraud Act of 2000 

Among other things, the Protecting Seniors from Fraud Act directed the Department 

of Justice (DOJ) to (1) conduct a study relating to crimes against seniors in order to 

assist in developing new strategies to prevent and reduce the incidence of these 

crimes and (2) include statistics in its National Crime Victimization Survey regarding 

crimes disproportionately affecting seniors, crime risk factors for seniors, and 

specific characteristics of victims of crimes who are seniors.8

Regarding the first mandate, DOJ’s National Institute of Justice officials told us that 

they have two projects under way. The first project is to identify best practices for 

responding to crimes against seniors and for preventing the occurrence of these 

crimes, as well as an overview of the effectiveness of damage awards in court actions 

and other means by which seniors may receive reimbursement for losses due to 

fraud. The second project is to measure the nature and extent of fraud against seniors 

using national crime data. Specifically, the study is to examine (1) the most common 

types of crimes that affect seniors; (2) the nature and extent of telemarketing, 

sweepstakes, and repair fraud against seniors; (3) the nature and extent of financial 

and material fraud targeting seniors; and (4) the risk factors associated with seniors 

who have been victimized. According to a National Institute of Justice official, these 

projects are expected to result in two reports scheduled for issuance in February 

2005. 

With regard to the second mandate, DOJ officials noted that National Crime 

Victimization Survey (NCVS) statistics related to crimes against seniors were posted 

on their Bureau of Justice Statistics Web site as of July 2004. DOJ officials also noted 

a 2000 DOJ study, which reported that while persons aged 65 and older experienced 

less crime in general than others, the elderly were disproportionately affected by 

property crimes. Using NCVS data, the report indicated that 9 out of 10 crimes against 

the elderly were property crimes, compared with 4 in 10 crimes against persons aged 

12 to 24 years.9

 These data and other statistics on crimes against seniors can be found 

at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/cpa6597.htm. 

(440338) 

 

8

P.L. 106-534, sec. 5, and 6. 

9

Crimes against Persons Age 65 and Older, 1992-97 (Bureau of Justice Statistics, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department 

of Justice, February 2000).
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