§ 844-b. New York state committee for the coordination of police
services to elderly persons. 1. Establishment of the committee. There is
hereby established within the division the "New York state committee for
the coordination of police services to elderly persons", hereinafter the
"committee".

2. Membership of committee. (a) The committee shall consist of a
representative of the commissioner, representative of the superintendent
of the New York state police, two representatives of the New York state
sheriffs association, two representatives of the New York state
association of chiefs of police, two representatives of the New York
state district attorneys' association, a representative of the attorney
general, a representative of the director of the office of victim
services, a representative of the director of the state office for the
aging, a representative of the commissioner of social services, a
representative of the commissioner of the New York city police
department, a representative of the New York state crime prevention
coalition and two elderly representatives one to be appointed by the
temporary president of the senate and the other by the speaker of the
assembly. The commissioner shall make appointments to the committee in
accordance with nominations submitted by the relevant agencies or
organizations. Each member of the committee shall be appointed by the
commissioner to serve a two year term. Any member appointed by the
commissioner may be reappointed for additional terms. Any vacancies
shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment and
vacancies created otherwise than by expiration of term shall be filled
for the remainder of that unexpired term.

(b) In the performance of its functions, the committee shall, to the
extent possible, solicit the participation and involvement of retired
law enforcement personnel.

(c) The representative of the commissioner and the superintendent of
the state police shall serve as co-chairpersons of the committee.

(d) Membership of the committee shall not constitute the holding of a
public office, and members of the committee shall not be required to
take and file oaths of office before serving on the committee.

(e) The members of the committee shall receive no compensation for
their services as members.

(f) No member of the committee shall be disqualified from holding any
public office or employment, nor shall any member forfeit any employment
or office by reason of his or her membership on the committee.

(g) The committee shall meet as often as deemed necessary, but in no
event less than two times per year.

3. Duties and responsibilities. The committee shall advise the
division, the state police, county sheriffs and other local law
enforcement agencies, and senior advocates chosen in consultation with
the state office for the aging, in the study and evaluation of effective
responses, including "Triad Programs," to the problems of crime against
elderly persons. The committee may also consult with experts, service
providers and representative organizations engaged in the protection of
the elderly and may recommend the development of programs, including
"Triad Programs", in the state of New York to assist the elderly to
avoid criminal victimization through the coordinated efforts of state
and local law enforcement agencies and organizations which provide
services for the elderly. The committee may also recommend policies and
programs to assist law enforcement agencies to implement such programs,
including training and prevention standards and technical assistance.
Such recommendations may include the following:

(a) the establishment of statewide and central clearinghouse for
information and education materials;

(b) the development of innovative community police programs for the
elderly;

(c) providing assistance to the municipal police training council in
the development and delivery of training to law enforcement
professionals involved in the "Triad Programs" including, but not
limited to, the subjects of:

(i) crimes against the elderly and the protection of elderly persons;

(ii) police sensitivity to the needs of elderly persons as victims and
witnesses;

(iii) social and human services;

(d) providing assistance to state and local law enforcement officials
and to not-for-profit corporations, organizations with respect to
effective policies and responses to crimes against elderly persons;

(e) promoting and facilitating cooperation among state agencies and
local units of government;

(f) effective advocacy of services to protect elderly persons and
elderly victims of crime;

(g) evaluating the relationship between crimes against elderly persons
and other problems confronting elderly persons, and making
recommendations for effective policy response;

(h) the collection of statistical data and research; and

(i) rules and regulations as may be necessary to carry out the
purposes of this section.

3-a. Reports. On or before March first, nineteen hundred ninety-eight
and annually thereafter the committee shall report to the temporary
president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly, the chair of the
assembly committee on aging and the chair of the senate committee on
aging, on the incidence of reports of abuse of elderly persons. Such
report shall consist of information from reports forwarded to the
committee by local law enforcement agencies pursuant to section 140.10
of the criminal procedure law including number of reported incidents,
ages of victims and alleged offenders, circumstances of the incident
whether arrests were made and the sentence, if any, of the offenders.
Such report shall also recommend policies and programs to aid law
enforcement agencies, the courts and the New York state office of victim
services in efforts to assist elder victims of domestic violence. The
report shall also include recommendations designed to assist law
enforcement agencies in implementing "Triad Programs".

4. Definition. As used in this section, the term "Triad Program" shall
mean the triad cooperative model developed by the American Association
of retired Persons, the National Sheriffs' Association and the
International Association of Chiefs of Police which calls for the
participation of the sheriff, at least one police chief, and a
representative of at least one senior citizens' organization within a
county and may include participation by general service coalitions of
law enforcement, victim service, and senior citizen advocate
organizations.

If there is not both a sheriff and a police chief in a county or if
the sheriff or a police chief do not participate, a Triad may include in
the place of the sheriff or police chief another key law enforcement
official in the county such as a district attorney.