RANDOLPH COUNTY, N.C. — We know the term protect and serve and this program is just another way the Randolph County Sheriff's Office is keeping the community safe.
It's called the Citizen Well Check program.
Here's how it works. People who fill out an application and sign up are automatically checked on five days a week, through a phone call.
Every day, around the same time, a call from the department will either have you press a key to confirm you are okay or respond back to the person calling.
If the person enrolled in the program can't answer the phone, another call will be made shortly after that.
If there is no response to the second call, a third call will follow.
If there is still no response, a designated contact person will get a phone call and the sheriff's office will send a deputy to the house to see if they are okay.
The program is free and it started four years ago, but deputies are trying to get the word out, so more people know about it.
Randolph County Deputy Chris Martin said it's saved countless lives.
"We actually had a relative that lived out of state in Virginia call for one of their relatives that they hadn't heard from since Sunday, here it was Wednesday at the time, I went out to the residence, knocked on the door for about 7 minutes, couldn't hear anything," said Martin. "Finally, I hear a low muffled 'help,' I was able to get into the residence and sure enough she'd been on the floor since Sunday, unknown time, with no food, no water, and no phone because the phone was not near her, she couldn't get up, so I called ems, and she was transported to the hospital and luckily she was alive."
Martin said it is only five days a week that volunteers call, but the department would like to expand by adding more volunteers to make it 7 days a week.
"Some of the people that are currently using the program we've spoken with, our volunteers, they are adamant about it, they love it because again it's that extra set of ears that can hear them, make sure that you know we know that they're there, we care for them, we care about their wellbeing, and that we're going to be there for them," said Martin.
To enroll, just go to this website to fill out the application. This is only for Randolph County residents, but some counties have similar programs.