Officer Howard Mills is a Chariho High School graduate and has been on the Westerly Police Force for 15 years in various positions. Currently he is the town's Community Service Officer and is our Club's contact to distribute the lockboxes that we have donated to the community. This program was originally started in Bristol RI by Sgt Ricardo Mourato, who visited our Club last April. So, how does the program work? We supply the Westerly Police with lockboxes purchased at special pricing from McQuade's Ace Hardware. When an elderly person or person with disability contacts Officer Mills, he will schedule a wellness visit and determine where the lockbox should be located. Officer Mills will take a picture of the lockbox location, prepare a document detailing the residence address, other pertinent information and a lockbox code only accessed by emergency services. Officer Mills said that they get 3-4 calls daily for "wellness" checks - visits to make sure that a resident is okay. Having the lockbox installed now allows them to enter a home without breaking down a door or window. Our original 10 lockboxes have all been placed. He also received a call from a condo association that will purchase lockboxes for their members.
