NCJ Number
150722
Date Published
Unknown
Length
196 pages
Annotation
Crimes against the elderly, particularly economic crimes and elder abuse, represent a serious and complex problem, and the State of Massachusetts has responded by implementing the Elderly Protection Project to train police officers in how to deal with elderly victims and respond to crimes against the elderly.
Abstract
The Elderly Protection Project is designed to ensure that crimes against the elderly and debilitating conditions for them are reported and that elderly citizens are not victimized a second time by the criminal justice system. Project programs are geared to three different levels of police expertise: (1) introductory training for recruits; (2) basic inservice training for veteran officers; and (3) advanced training through regional seminars. The training manual covers the demographics of the elderly population, fear of crime, victimization, the vulnerability of elderly persons to crime, communicating with older persons, and the impact of specialized training on the police response to elderly crime victims. The training manual also addresses the context of elder abuse, police investigative protocols, Massachusetts' Elder Abuse Reporting Law, protective services, institutional abuse, domestic violence, mental health concerns, financial exploitation, Alzheimer's disease, and motor vehicle issues. Case studies are included for use as training scenarios, and supplemental training materials are provided in attachments. Figures