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Scarsdale Ruok? Program Ensures Seniors' Safety

SCARSDALE, N.Y. --  “Good Morning, this is the Scarsdale Police, Are you ok?” is the greeting that Scarsdale seniors such as Sunny Dubbs hear each day after they sign up for the Scarsdale Police Department’s RUOK? program.

Dubbs signed up for this service quite a while ago and gets her call at 8 a.m. from the Scarsdale Police. She is one of many seniors that have the Scarsdale police check in on her each morning. RUOK (are you OK)? Is a free program that allows seniors to sign up to receive a call between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.  (the hour is their choice) to make sure all is well.

 “The police department is fantastic, and this is a free service! I like that they take care of me and call me in the morning.” Says Mrs. Dubbs

And it’s about to get better. The RUOK program has been in existence for approximately 15 years, and the Scarsdale Police Department is in the process of upgrading its system, hoping to have new software running in about three months, according to  Scarsdale Police Officer Terence Ellis.  The new system will be a windows-based program where the old system is on the DOS operating system.

How the program works is if the automated call at the appointed time is not answered, there will be a second try 15 minutes later and then a third. If there is still no answer, the police department is notified and an officer is dispatched to the person’s house.  If it is necessary to get into the house, the fire department is dispatched.

To register for the program seniors  provide police with  their name, address, phone number, time for the police to call, a family member’s information in case of an emergency, their doctor’s name and number, their clergy’s information, and if they have a neighbor who has access to their apartment or house, the neighbor’s name and number. This is all kept on file with the Scarsdale Police and it is confidential information.

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