Age Spots: SALT to host annual event honoring fallen law enforcement

Recently, Joplin, Mo., lost two law enforcement officers in the line of duty. It is always hard to hear about our law enforcement officers being killed in the line of duty, especially so close; the community loses so much when we lose those who put themselves between danger and us.

President Kennedy established National Police Week in 1962 to pay special recognition to law enforcement officers who lost their lives in the line of duty for the safety and protection of their community. Many communities hold celebrations to honor those men and women during or around Police Week.

Seniors and Lawmen Together (SALT) is an organization established to bring seniors and law enforcement together to address unmet safety needs in Cape Girardeau County. SALT hosts several events throughout the year.

On May 21, they will host the most touching and solemn event of the year: the Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony. The SALT Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony will recognize 51 fallen heroes who died in the line of duty. The event will take place at 10 a.m. at Cape Bible Chapel, 2911 Kage Rd., in Cape Girardeau.

During this time, we get a chance to remember with respect, gratitude and honor these 51 men who made a difference in their communities. We also get the chance to honor their families and make sure they know we appreciate the sacrifices they have made. SALT honors those from the counties of Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Dunklin, Iron, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Ripley, Scott, Stoddard and Wayne. Sandy Karsten, director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety, will be the guest speaker.

SALT also has the Law Officer Memorial located at Cape County Park North. For the first time since I have been a part of SALT, we are adding new names to the memorial, which is a heartbreaking thing to do. The memorial has all 51 names engraved and stands as a lasting tribute to the sacrifice each of them has made. I encourage you to visit the memorial and take a moment to say thank you to these 51 heroes so they are never forgotten. How these men died does not make them a hero; how they lived does, and we should honor their sacrifice. If you are unable to make the memorial event, May 15-21 is Police Week. Please take the time to thank the men and women who give so much of their time to keep us all safe.

We are getting many calls again about scams targeting seniors in our area, so here are some tips to protect yourself: First, guard your information. This includes dates of birth, your Medicare card, and Social Security, bank account, and credit card numbers. If you are on Facebook, avoid the temptation to share answers like your favorite colors, foods, pets and children’s names, dates, etc. Those could also be answers to online security questions. These quizzes seem harmless, but they are not.

Guarding your information may seem more difficult when someone phones your home, sounds official and speaks to you in a persuasive or threatening manner. Do not be fooled. When someone calls your home asking for any of this information, do not give it to the caller.

Medicare will not call you and ask you for your information; Medicare already has your information. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will not call or email you to try to collect back taxes. The IRS handles official business via mail. The local sheriff’s department will not call you and give you one last chance to pay up before they serve a warrant and take you to jail. Your bank will not phone you and ask you for information about your accounts.

When you receive a call like this, it is OK to hang up and call the bank, IRS, Medicare or sheriff’s department if you are uncertain about the call. Call a publicly-available number for the agency — not a number a caller gives you. You are your first line of defense.

If you are a senior or have questions about senior issues, please call Aging Matters 1 (800) 392-8771. Because … Aging Matters.