Elder Abuse Part One: False Imprisonment

Elder Abuse Part One: False Imprisonment

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In collaboration with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Elder Justice Initiative, the IACP developed a six-part roll call video series which enables law enforcement to better identify signs of elder abuse and recognize evidence that can lead to a successful prosecution.

 

In the United States, approximately 1 in 10 seniors aged 60 and older will experience some form of elder abuse. Even more alarming, only 1 in 14 of these incidents are reported to law enforcement.[1] These statistics highlight the important role that officers play in recognizing the signs that elder abuse might be occurring. Although there may be many misconceptions about what elder abuse is, how it manifests, and the differences between civil and criminal matters—understanding the complex dynamics, nuances, and warning signs of elder abuse is vital for officers to help protect some of our most vulnerable community members and to include elder abuse as a priority for the law enforcement community.

Part one of the video series recounts an actual case handled by the DeKalb County (GA) Police Department as they investigate false imprisonment of an older adult. In this case, a man by the name of Mr. Hill was being held against his will along with another man in a stranger’s basement. The condition of the room they were held in was unclean and dismal, but luckily Mr. Hill was able to escape and was found walking on the side of the road by Officer Shields. Although the story he told Officer Shields sounded farfetched, she decided to investigate Mr. Hill’s story and found the house where they were being held.

Ultimately, a grand jury indicted the suspect on false imprisonment, exploitation of a disabled adult, two counts of abuse of a disabled adult, and two counts of theft by taking. The offender was sentenced to 10 years in jail and 10 years of probation for their crimes. Officer Shields diligence ultimately led to justice being served for these two men.

The roll call videos and other elder abuse resources can be found at https://www.theiacp.org/elder-abuse.

 

[1] “Elder Abuse Facts.” National Council on Aging. https://www.ncoa.org/public-policy-action/elder-justice/elder-abuse-facts/

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