NCJ Number
191953
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 28 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2001 Pages: 56-61
Date Published
October 2001
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This article examines the effect of America's aging population on the delivery of law enforcement services.
Abstract
Many law enforcement agencies fall short when it comes to services for the elderly, and in most cases officers are not educated in elder issues at all. In addition to a growing number of seniors' calls for service, the number of elder abuse calls is also growing. Law enforcement officers must be educated in elder issues and identifying abusers and caregivers. In addition, they should know how to identify the at-risk population, how to spot the abusers, which community agency could help a particular senior, and any restrictions on services. Starting a TRIAD within the community can be a logical way to begin providing needed services. TRIAD is a collaborative effort among police and organizations such as the Salvation Army, public safety agencies, assisted living centers, and nursing homes. TRIAD surveys the community to determine what seniors consider necessary and the various agencies work together to ensure the services are provided. The article considers that, for any program to work effectively, law enforcement needs to know the demographics of the community and the people as individuals. In addition, law enforcement must acknowledge that the issue is bigger than law enforcement alone. Figure