OBSERVERS RODE WITH THE POLICE IN TWO CITIES, SYSTEMATICALLY CODING THE REASON FOR EACH ENCOUNTER; ITS LOCATION; CLASSIFYING THE CONTENT AND EMOTION; AND OBSERVING BASIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ENCOUNTER. FROM THIS DATA, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT PATTERNS OF POLICE CONTACT WITH THE ELDERLY WERE NOT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT FROM PATTERNS OF POLICE CONTACT WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC. HOWEVER, IT WAS NOTED THAT THE ELDERLY DID CONSTITUTE AN UNUSUALLY HIGH PERCENTAGE OF THE CASES OF PERSONAL LARCENY WITH CONTACT, AND THAT THE ELDERLY SOUGHT NONCRIME RELATED SERVICE FROM POLICE ABOUT TWICE AS MUCH AS WAS EXPECTED. THE AUTHOR STRESES THAT COMMUNITY CRIME PREVENTION EFFORTS MAY BE THE MOST EFFECTIVE APPROACH IN PREVENTING CRIMES AGAINST THE ELDERLY. THE AUTHOR ALSO PROPOSES THAT POLICE SHOULD DEVOTE FEWER RESOURCES TO PATROL AND CONTROL OF VICTIMLESS CRIMES, SO THAT GREATER ENERGY COULD BE SPENT ON SERIOUS CRIME. FINALLY, A STANDARD PROCESS WHEREBY POLICE COULD REFER ELDERLY CITIZENS TO SOCIAL AGENCIES IS SUGGESTED....DMC