Pennsylvania would provide seniors home security devices through a funded program

The Department of Aging would run a program with local aging agencies to provide and install home security devices. The program would serve Pennsylvania residents who are at least 60 years old. Devices could include video doorbells, motion-activated outdoor lights, door or window sensors, and emergency alert systems. The department would choose the most cost-effective device option that meets each senior’s needs. Professional installation and user training would be offered at no cost to the senior. The program would depend on money appropriated by the General Assembly or available federal grants. The act would take effect 60 days after enactment.

The department would give priority to seniors in higher-risk living situations and would require a signed promise to share certain recorded footage with law enforcement after a nearby crime. Priority would go to seniors who live alone or with another senior, live in neighborhoods with high burglary or violent-crime rates, or have experienced a home invasion or burglary. A senior would have to sign documentation agreeing to share recorded footage with law enforcement officers when a crime occurs in the area of the device. Priority would guide which eligible seniors receive devices first; it would not guarantee that every senior receives one. These rules would apply when the department decides whether a senior qualifies and which eligible applicants receive devices.