C and I were dispatched to a theft delayed report call tonight. We arrived at a very nice retirement village. We found the correct apartment and the door was answered by a very nice lady. The lady is 87 years old. She has a bit of a difficult time getting around and uses a cane. Her mind is very sharp. Her husband died 5 years ago. He served in WW2. They had enjoyed over 60 years of marriage together. Her apartment is decorated with photos of her kids and grandkids.
Earlier in the day, she went to the post office to mail a package. She said that ever since she started using the cane, people seem to be very helpful. They hold doors for her and do other simple kind things. As she was waiting in a long line at the post office, a young man told her that he would keep her place in line and that she could go sit in some nearby chairs. She thought that was nice and went to sit down. When she sat down, she sat her purse down on a table next to her. The male in line kept up a conversation with her, distracting her. While she was talking to him another male that was sitting nearby, used that distraction to grab her wallet out of her purse. He opened it, took some things out, and then returned the wallet to her purse. The male standing in line reached the front and she got up and mailed her package. Afterwards she thanked him for the help.
She then went on to the beauty salon because she had a hair appointment. At the salon is where she realized what had happened. The male did not take her money or her credit cards. She would have realized that at the post office. You see, a few years ago due to arthritis she had to stop wearing her rings. She did not like leaving them in her apartment and liked having them with her. So she kept them in a small pocket of her wallet. The male in the post office found that pocket. He stole 5 rings and a watch out of her wallet. One of the rings was her wedding ring. Another was an antique ring that her husband had purchased for her 56 years ago.
She lost her husband 5 years ago and now she has lost the rings that he gave her. She was understandably devastated. I thought that she held things together remarkably well while we were there. At the end of our conversation she talked about her faith. She talked about how thankful she was to get the time that she had with her husband and her rings. Her reaction was a testament to her faith.
While at work I hear a lot of stories and see a lot of things. Very little bothers me. I detach myself from the stories and events so that I can do my job. However, her story bothered me. As soon as I walked into her apartment, I thought of Nana, Jen's grandmother. It was downright erie all of the similarities. I pictured Nana being the one that had been taken advantage of. Unfortunately, all it did was make me mad. I wish I had been able to find the two pricks that took her rings. I wanted to be able to make everything right for her and to find her rings. All I was able to do was to make sure that C got all of the information that we could from her in hopes that an investigator might get lucky. Sometimes there is not justice here on earth, but I sure hope there is a special place in Hell for those that take advantage of the elderly.
Earlier in the day, she went to the post office to mail a package. She said that ever since she started using the cane, people seem to be very helpful. They hold doors for her and do other simple kind things. As she was waiting in a long line at the post office, a young man told her that he would keep her place in line and that she could go sit in some nearby chairs. She thought that was nice and went to sit down. When she sat down, she sat her purse down on a table next to her. The male in line kept up a conversation with her, distracting her. While she was talking to him another male that was sitting nearby, used that distraction to grab her wallet out of her purse. He opened it, took some things out, and then returned the wallet to her purse. The male standing in line reached the front and she got up and mailed her package. Afterwards she thanked him for the help.
She then went on to the beauty salon because she had a hair appointment. At the salon is where she realized what had happened. The male did not take her money or her credit cards. She would have realized that at the post office. You see, a few years ago due to arthritis she had to stop wearing her rings. She did not like leaving them in her apartment and liked having them with her. So she kept them in a small pocket of her wallet. The male in the post office found that pocket. He stole 5 rings and a watch out of her wallet. One of the rings was her wedding ring. Another was an antique ring that her husband had purchased for her 56 years ago.
She lost her husband 5 years ago and now she has lost the rings that he gave her. She was understandably devastated. I thought that she held things together remarkably well while we were there. At the end of our conversation she talked about her faith. She talked about how thankful she was to get the time that she had with her husband and her rings. Her reaction was a testament to her faith.
While at work I hear a lot of stories and see a lot of things. Very little bothers me. I detach myself from the stories and events so that I can do my job. However, her story bothered me. As soon as I walked into her apartment, I thought of Nana, Jen's grandmother. It was downright erie all of the similarities. I pictured Nana being the one that had been taken advantage of. Unfortunately, all it did was make me mad. I wish I had been able to find the two pricks that took her rings. I wanted to be able to make everything right for her and to find her rings. All I was able to do was to make sure that C got all of the information that we could from her in hopes that an investigator might get lucky. Sometimes there is not justice here on earth, but I sure hope there is a special place in Hell for those that take advantage of the elderly.
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