Houston seniors turn out in droves for home safety event

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Houston police teamed up with several community agencies and businesses to help senior citizens better equip and prepare themselves for home break-ins. The event was hosted at the Sunnyside Multi-Service Center and drew hundreds of seniors.

During the event, senior citizens were encouraged to sign up for free home security surveys. Those surveys will be conducted in the next two weeks when a crime prevention officer visits the senior's home and offers suggestions on how to step up security. Once the security survey has been completed, many businesses and organizations have donated products, cash and services to provide any needed security upgrades. These security upgrades will be installed, free of charge, at a later date.

Calvin Miller signed up his mother, Dorothy Miller, for the survey.

"We are making sure that my mom is safe," Miller said.

Miller says he attended partly because of what happened last January to another Sunnyside neighbor, Ophelia Outley. Outley, 95, was attacked in her own home last January while she slept. The intruder beat her and broke her shoulder.

"If she maybe would've had an alarm system at her house, that could've been one of the preventatives to them leaving, hearing that alarm go off," Miller said.

"To do the things that he did to her was just very hurting and that made me want to go straight into action," said Janette Arceneaux with Houston police.

Arceneaux visited Outley after the attack to beef up Outley's security. But that never happened because Outley died weeks after she was beaten. Outley's family believes she never recovered mentally.

"It was just so senseless," Arceneaux said.

Areceneaux had the idea to create Monday's event in Outley's honor.

HPD will host three more events like this one throughout the year. Locations include: Denver Harbor Family Clinic on Hahlo Street; Acres Home Health Center on the norhtside of Houston; and another spot on the southwest side of town, that location is yet to be determined.

Dates for each of these events are being finalized.