ANAHEIM : City Hires Guard for Senior Center

The Senior Citizens Center is a busy place. Upstairs, a group of men is shooting pool. Another group is studiously involved in the bridge workshop. The gym is half-full with seniors enrolled in dance class.

The back-to-back schedule of activities continues until 10 p.m. and many seniors say they are uncomfortable walking to their cars that late.

Now, thanks to a city budget allocation, a security guard patrols the center nightly and will walk seniors to their cars.

“He’s just here to have a presence, just to say these people are safe and to deter people from messing with us,” said Carol L. Erickson, community services supervisor for the city.

Erickson said a few minor crimes in past months triggered some fear among the seniors, and prompted the center to hire a guard. A few cars had been vandalized, the center had been broken into and one resident of senior housing next door had surprised a burglar.

“It didn’t come out of nowhere. There were some incidents that got the ball rolling,” she said.

The unarmed guard also patrols the George Washington Community Center across the street.

Women at the senior center say that knowing a guard is on the premises is reassuring.

“We come to the dances and we don’t always come with a partner,” said Mary Mc Neil, 75. “It’s nice that a benefit like that is here.”

Virginia Haddix, 65, and Laverna Daffern, 83, said they’re taking lessons in self-defense, but are pleased to know someone is there to escort them to their cars.