|
What
role do law enforcement personnel play in elder abuse prevention?
Police,
sheriffs, prosecutors, and courts hold perpetrators accountable
for their actions, sending out a clear message that society
does not tolerate the victimization of its most vulnerable
members. Specifically, law enforcement personnel:
- Arrest,
prosecute, and incarcerate perpetrators
- Ensure
victims' safety by enforcing restraining orders, performing
well-being checks of vulnerable person, etc.
- Provide
leverage and assistance to other professionals in fulfilling
their mandates to investigate and intervene
- Supervise
the conduct of perpetrators
- Ensure
that perpetrators receive needed services
How
can law enforcement personnel get involved in elder abuse
prevention?
- Participate
on multidisciplinary teams or other community forums that
address the issue
- Encourage
law enforcement training programs to cover elder abuse
and the special needs of elderly or disabled persons in
their curricula
- Learn
more about the special needs of the elderly
- Advocate
for policies and programs that facilitate prosecution
and make the criminal justice system more accessible to
elderly victims. Examples include specialized police units,
vertical prosecution of abuse cases, and the use of videotaped
testimony for victims who are unable to come to court.
Resources
For Law Enforcement
Forgotten
victims of elder financial crime and abuse: A report and
recommendations (1999, 62 pp). Goldman Institute on
Aging. This report summarized four roundtable discussions
sponsored by the National Center on Elder Abuse. Each session
focused on one of four components of the legal system: the
state and criminal justice system, federal investigative
and regulatory agencies, the civil legal system, and the
victim witness assistance network. Representatives from
these systems described the challenges they face in handling
abuse cases and made recommendations for improving each
system's response. The publication is available online on
the website of the National Center on Elder Abuse. Click
here to view. (By clicking, you will leave the NCPEA
web site).
National
Institute of Justice et al. (1993). Triad: Reducing crime
against the elderly: An implementation handbook. Washington,
D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Justice, National Institute of Justice.
Nerenberg,
Lisa. (1993). Improving the police response to domestic
elder abuse: Instructor training manual and participant
training manual. Washington, D.C.: Police Executive
Research Forum.
Prosecutors
Brief. Vol.XXI, No.2. The California District Attorney's
Association's (CDAA) devoted an entire issue of this quarterly
journal to elder abuse. Although all of the authors are
from California, much of the content is relevant to other
communities. Articles include Elder Abuse--A Statewide
Perspective by Paul Greenwood; A Multi-disciplinary
Approach to Elder Abuse Prosecution by Audry L. Rohn;
Medical Records as Investigative Tools in Elder Abuse
Cases by Diana Boutin; Interviewing Cognitively Impaired
Victims by Dennis J. Morris; The Absent Witness in
Elder Abuse Cases by Mark Zahner; and Elder and Dependent
Adult Fraud--A Crime or a Civil Matter by Judith B.
Sklar. The publication can be found online at (by clicking
here, you will leave the NCPEA web site): http://www.cdaa.org/pubs/pubonline.htm
National
Organizations
The
National Organization of Triads, Inc. (NATI)
The
National Association of Triads, Inc. (NATI) provides advice,
support, technical assistance, and training to local Triads.
Created in 1988 as a partnership between the American Association
of Retired Persons (AARP), the International Association
of Chiefs of Police (IACP), and the National Sheriffs' Association
(NSA), Triad is a network of local programs that promote
collaboration between senior volunteers and law enforcement.
At present, approximately 730 counties have Triads. Local
Triads are overseen by Salt (Senior and Law Enforcement
Together) councils, which plan activities and programs to
address local needs.
NATI
hosts training events and a national conference, manages
a speaker's bureau, and produces a quarterly newsletter.
It distributes guidebooks, information packets, and an informational
video on how to get started. For more information, contact:
NATI
1450 Duke Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone:
800-424-7827
Fax: 703-519-8567
website: http://www.sheriffs.org/triad.htm
American
Prosecutors Research Institute
The
American Prosecutors Research Institute was established
in 1984 by the Board of Directors of the National District
Attorneys Association to provide practical and direct services
to prosecutors and allied professionals. The staff of APRI
includes experienced prosecutors who can provide information
concerning the prosecution of cases involving elderly victims
and refer callers to local prosecutors with expertise in
elder abuse.
APRI
Crimes Against the Family Division
99 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 510
Alexander, VA 22314
Telephone:
(703) 549-4253
Fax: (703) 836-3195
Website: http://www.ndaa.org/apri/Index.html
National
Association of Bunco Investigators (NABI)
The
National Association of Bunco Investigators, Inc. is a non-profit
organization of law enforcement and associated professionals
dedicated to the investigation and apprehension of con artists
and transient criminals. Members have developed extensive
knowledge in the investigation of Bunco crimes, which include
pigeon drops, bank examiner schemes, sweetheart scams, etc.
NABI facilitates the continuous exchange of information
by publishing a bulletin, which provides up to date information
on criminals. It also provides a forum for the dissemination
of information on suspects wanted by law enforcement agencies
around the country. To date, the information disseminated
through NABI has helped in the identification of over 2,000
criminal suspects. For more information, contact:
NABI
P.O. Box 287
Maryland Line, MD 21105
|
