STATEMENT OF ELEANOR SLATER, COORDINATOR, DIVISION ON AGING

Mrs. SLATER. Thank you, Senator. I have turned in a formal paper for the record. I am just going to shortcut this and take short excerpts from it. And to underscore what I think

Senator PELL. I'd like to interrupt here and assure all the witnesses if they have longer statements than they say, the full statement will be published in the record.*

Mrs. SLATER. Transportation is the real problem. Transportation may well be the sleeper as the prime issue at the soon to be held White House Conference on Aging. Almost every State had transportation as the top priority in the State White House Conference. This makes sense when one stops to think about services and programs. How do poor elderly get to use services and participate in programs unless they have the means to get where services are available? Transportation is the real problem, is a worry, is a frustration. It is unobtainable to many.

TRANSPORTATION-A REAL PROBLEM

Today, many of you attending had to have transportation to get here. Transportation is a real problem; it is difficult. To be constantly concerned on how to get there, whether it be to a meeting with others or for a hot meal or pleasant socializing or to get to the doctor's office, a hospital, a clinic, or to go marketing for food or any other reasons, older people more than any other age group get worn down and become resigned to being unable to be mobile and thus may become isolated, unless they have the transportation to take care of getting to all these various services.

For instance, older people cannot walk too far for public transportation nor wait too long. Ofttimes they are physically not capable. Many times they are afraid to walk in certain neighborhoods. Violence has made living in some neighborhoods a nightmare. And I won't belabor that particular point because this is what we are hearing.

We believe, we in the Rhode Island Department of Community Affairs, have a good idea. A grant proposal has been written and delivered to the Department of Transportation in Washington for a demand delivery transportation system, a pilot project to be inaugurated in this State. This grant is still alive because we have only been in contact a few days ago in Washington and we hope-we still live in hope that we may be one of the States in the country to have a program of a demand: Delivery kind of transportation.

A study that was made of the elderly in the State, titled "The Aging in the Rhode Island Community, 1970," gives some data on physical conditions which do not necessarily hospitalize people, but identifies those who can get around, however limited. Now, we have a vast number of these people, Senator. Those who are in hospitals get there, but there are-well, I will go on here-for example, arthritis is one of the most prevalent diseases of the aged, and yet only 58 percent of the elderly in Rhode Island who have arthritis indicated having received any medical help for their painful and crippling disease.

*See appendix 1, p. 310.

Only about 35 percent of those suffering from varicose veins received medical assistance. There are similar examples of hemorrhoids, anemia, constipation, and sinus, such conditions as these, they are conditions for which many people need medical care, and yet they are not ill enough to be in a hospital. I would say that probably 75 percent of our older population find themselves in this kind of group, and these are the people that we want to bring health services to.

But again, so many cannot get to the health services unless there is transportation. I won't go on because my paper here is in the record. All I can say, Senator, that these statistics are in the study, we are aware of them and we know them. The Older Americans Act, my office, the Division on Aging, is financing two transportation programs here in the State. One, the Urban League is the grantee, they share in part of the cost.

But this is down in the model cities area of Providence, a transport and escort service. The escort service is part of this particular service because of the kinds of things that you have heard these elderly people say. The escort service, they go right up to the door of the apartment or the tenement and bring the person down to the vehicle. And also, if it is a marketing kind of trip they have been on, carry the bag into the house.

Also, Senator, this summer, without Federal funds, with State funds and with private funds, I might say that the Grace Episcopal Church made a gift of $2,000, plus $5,000 in just State funds, and we have been running transportation summer programs of taking people who live in Providence on regular marketing trips. We are hopeful of developing this even more, and I see Mr. Max Cohen in the audience here. Max Cohen came to the Governor's office with several othersI would say 30, 35 other senior citizens—and we talked about 10 days ago. Mr. Cohen has some idea about getting together with management, our office, and setting up a transportation marketing program for the elderly. Max, we want to see you.

We are doing all we can to the degree there is personnel, to the degree there is money, we are aware of the programs and are very anxious to do more about them.

Senator PELL. I thank you very much. In that connection, we are following up on this request of yours to the Department of Transportation and we do the best we can. I think another point here is that the vehicles will be electric vehicles, which go slower and also will pollute the air less. In that regard, I think we are very fortunate that the Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Environment is a former Rhode Islander and his good offices also would be of great help in producing more vehicles of this sort.

I must add in my own inspection or visit to various housing for the elderly units, I have noticed this question of transportation is particularly important. Thank you. Now we have, as our final witness on this panel, Col. Walter McQueeny. I would like to add a personal word of thanks to him for coming, because we have just seen the amount of work he has from the statements of the previous witnesses, and also to congratulate him on the way he's opened up communications with all the different elements of our community.

I think the relationships between black and white are better now, thanks to him, as far as the police and the citizens go, and they haven't

been this way in many, many years. I have a high personal regard for Walter McQueeny and am glad he consented to be a witness here. Colonel McQueeny.

[Applause.]

STATEMENT OF COL. WALTER A. McQUEENY, CHIEF OF PROVIDENCE POLICE DEPARTMENT

Colonel McQUEENY. Thank you very much, Senator. The Honorable Senator Pell and staff, members of the panel, Reverend Fathers and Sisters, ladies and gentlemen, I think after the events that I have heard told about here this morning, if I were at all weak I would throw the towel in and walk out the front door and say, "See you later." It would seem that it is an insurmountable problem.

However, let me, if I might, and you might bear with me for just a few moments, give you a little bit of insight, of my insight, of some of the problems that have been brought out this morning. Some of my reference to them may be repetitious. I know most of the people who have spoken. I have the highest regard for them. I know they are telling the truth. In fact, I could multiply many times over the number of events that they have given you in a small way this morning.

SAFETY OF SENIORS-TOP PRIORITY

I can tell you about what most of the people at this table are doing, and I can tell you that I have the very highest regard for you, as senior citizens. Upon my return to the Providence Police Department on January 24, I made a statement to the police department in general on what I called a general rollcall of all policemen gathered together under one roof that my priority, and top priority, was the handbagsnatching and the knocking down of the older and senior citizens and people innocently walking down the streets, getting off buses, and immediately ordered what I call an aggressive patrol.

We have moved ahead with what I did call aggressive patrol. We are not, nor do I sit here this morning under any circumstances wanting to create the impression that we have solved the problem by any means. I can only tell you this, that we have made more arrests in perhaps the last 5 months than have been made in some time, but also crime has gone up.

me,

Now, I have some answers of my own. Everybody will not agree with but I think that I would be hypocritical if I did not express my feelings as I feel them, regardless of whether they are taken differently by somebody else or not. I can find no way of being the chief of police of the capital city of this State unless I am sincerely honest in what I think are some of the root causes. I would accept the responsibility for the police, I would tell you that we have faltered in some areas. I would tell you that I would like to be able to have a policeman on every street where a crime occurs. I would tell you that I have ordered all of our cars up and down every side street, when they see buses stop and people get off to ride up and down these streets, whether they are marked police cars with big words, "Police," on them, or whether they are the new innovative approach that I have taken to

deal with this situation by putting men out with beards and leather jackets and motorcycles and trucks and taxicabs and any other vehicles that I can find to fight crime. I will fight crime in whatever way I have to do it to try and eliminate this terrible problem. [Applause.] Now, I want to say this: I feel, and I'd like to explain to you if I can, I am sure we have a few moments, that I don't believe-first of all, let me say I think that the police are like the top of an iceberg, if I might explain it in that way. They are completely visible, easily observed, but representing only one-eighth of the total iceberg. The remainder of that total iceberg, if you will, is the entire criminal justice system, which I think has a part and should be concerned with the robberies and the crime that is taking place, and not just always be ready to blame the police.

I will accept the blame for the police when we falter and when we do not catch the criminals. But when I think there is another section of an entire picture that should be looked into, then I think it is about time we explained a little bit. I am not against the courts, believe me, but I have some things to say. When I say that the entire criminal justice system moves about obscured from sight, yet represents seven-eighths of the total iceberg, and just as alterations to the top of the iceberg cannot substantially affect the total mass of ice, changes in the efficiency or effectiveness of the police alone did not substantially affect the criminal justice system over a long period of time.

In the State of Rhode Island, for example, 31 percent of the criminal justice dollar is spent for police operations, while 28 percent is spent for prosecution and adjudication of offenders, 8 percent is spent for probation and parole services, and the remaining 33 percent is spent to operate custodial correctional institutions. Consider the import of these figures, ladies and gentlemen, if you will. One-third of the total for prosecution and adjudication of offenders, 8 percent is spent for the care of 400 or so offenders, 75 percent of whom will later be arrested; 28 percent of the local expenditures has been used to determine guilt or innocence, and only 8 percent is used for community-oriented treatment of offenders. And most importantly, over 75 percent of criminal justice expenditures are concerned with costs which occur after crimes have been committed, and 75 percent of the costs occur after offenders have been arrested.

MORE EMPHASIS ON CRIME PREVENTION

What does this all suggest? It is my belief that it very strongly suggests that we reorient our approach to the criminal justice system. It very strongly suggests that we attempt to prevent crime, that we attempt to prevent young people from becoming involved in crime, and increase the effectiveness of our treatment of those people who do become criminals.

Our strategy in the prevention and reduction of crime must be based on a three-pronged attack, and if you will, I might suggest those three prongs. We must reduce the need and the desire to commit crime. We must increase the difficulty of committing crime. And we must increase the efficiency of all elements of the criminal justice system, and not just the police.

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The reduction of the need and desire to commit crime involves far more than the criminal justice system. It involves, if you will, the whole society. It must include the elimination of the ghettoes, the slums that spawn crime, the provision of equal opportunities in education and employment, and the identification of the psychological and sociological roots of criminal behavior. It must include better efforts to assist those who do run afoul of the law despite the best efforts of parents, schools, and youth agencies.

Now, I'd like to make some reference to the courts, if you will, only to make some points to you with regard to some of the cases that have been mentioned here this morning by this honorable panel, and a most respectful panel and a truthful panel. But I say to you this, ladies and gentlemen, we have had handbag snatches, people knocked down, 89year-old women with their ribs and nose kicked in, which have brought my blood pressure to a point that I have had to go under a doctor's care, believe it or not, because it irks me and it irritates me so much.

And if you don't think that I spent 8, 10, 14, or 15 hours in that police department trying to find some of the answers to these problems, then I respectfully submit to you that you talk to my subordinates to find out whether or not this is true. I spent 1 year and 10 months on a leave of absence involved as the executive director of the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration program dealing with the money that was being filtered into Rhode Island, and I was the appointment of His Excellency, Governor Licht.

During my 1 year and 10 months in that program, which I left voluntarily because I wanted to be the chief of police, and sometimes I wonder whether I should have seen a psychiatrist when I was sitting comfortably in a nice office, but those handbag snatchers and these women that have been assaulted have irritated me to no end. But what are more of the problems than we are confronted with and faced with this morning?

VICTIMS AFRAID TO MAKE IDENTIFICATION

No. 1, I put it to you very bluntly, identification. No. 2, repercussions, people being afraid. And I think that probably they have a right to be afraid. But I tell you that there are some people that before long have got to stand up and be counted. They have got to come in and identify these people and give us the opportunity of placing them before the courts.

Now, I want you to know that we have placed a great number of them before the courts; and let me tell you that it is no small number, it is a large number. And I want to repeat something that I heard here this morning made reference to of some of the young fellows with the long hair and mustache and the beards. They are not the worst kids in the world, believe me. There are some very great ones. I am not here to criticize them. Just because I happen to wear my hair short-I wish I had some hair. [Laughter.]

But the point is I say to you that these kids are not all bad. A small percentage of these kids are making every kid in America look bad, the same as a small percentage of the policemen make every cop in America look bad. Now let me say this to you, there is some explanation that I think is deserving of your consideration, and particularly