22nd National Triad Conference
held in conjunction with the 15th Annual Illinois Triad Conference
October 3 - 5, 2011
Tinley Park Convention Center
18451 Convention Center Drive
Tinley Park, IL 60477
www.nationaltriad.org
Please nominate your “Triad Volunteer of the Year” by sending a (no more than) 1,500 word letter to: ehutchison@sheriffs.org by COB 08/31/2011
Police Departments Turn to Volunteers
By JESSE McKINLEY
FRESNO, Calif. — Roman Sarkisian easily passes for your average Fresno police officer: crew cut, tight-set jaw and “just-the-facts” demeanor.
“I like to do law enforcement stuff,” said Mr. Sarkisian, 23, an immigrant from the republic of Georgia who is studying criminology at the city college here. “I like helping out putting bad guys in jail.”
But Mr. Sarkisian is not a police officer, and he does not carry a gun or a Taser. He is a police volunteer, part of an experiment by departments across the country that enlists trained amateurs to perform a broad — and occasionally dangerous — array of investigative duties like collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses, searching for missing persons and looking into long-dormant cases.
Hamstrung by shrinking budgets, the police say the volunteers are indispensable in dealing with low-level offenses and allow sworn officers to focus on more pressing crimes and more violent criminals.
“We had the option to either stop handling those calls or do it in a different manner,” said Fresno’s police chief, Jerry Dyer, whose department has lost more than 300 employees in recent years. “I’ve always operated under the premise of no risk, no success. And in this instance, I felt we really didn’t have very much to lose.”
Other chiefs facing budget problems are also using volunteers. In Mesa, Ariz., a Phoenix suburb, 10 of them have been trained to process crime scenes, dust for fingerprints and even swab for DNA. In Pasadena, Calif., a team of retirees is combating identity theft — and, apparently, their own ennui.
“Once I retired and cleaned up my house, I was bored,” said Liz Diott, 67, a former vice president at the Bank of America who now works 20 hours a week at the Pasadena Police Department. “It keeps me on my toes.”
Civilians have long taken on administrative or menial duties for the police — there are volunteer programs at some 2,100 departments nationwide, according to the International Association of Chiefs of Police — and some departments, including in New York City, use auxiliary officers for traffic control, beat patrols and other duties.
But the use of volunteers in investigations raises legal and liability questions, said Robert Weisberg, the co-director of the Stanford Criminal Justice Center. He suggested such programs could provide openings for defense attorneys to suppress evidence and attack witnesses’ testimony.
“If I were a defense lawyer, I would certainly say in front of the jury, ‘Mr.’ — and I would underline Mister — ‘Mr. Shoontz, you’re a volunteer. You’re not really a police officer, are you?” Mr. Weisberg said.
San Francisco’s district attorney, George Gascon, a former police chief in Mesa, said he was not worried that police volunteers would cause problems for prosecutors. “So long as there is appropriate training and supervision in place, that should not be an area of concern,” he said.
Mr. Gascon and other supporters say such programs — in addition to providing free labor — are a recruitment tool for police cadets and are popular with residents.
“Citizens are more receptive to our volunteers than to our officers,” said Officer Celestine Ratliff, the volunteer liaison for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in North Carolina.
Still, Allen Hopper, the police practices director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California, said volunteers needed to be aware of — and responsible for — suspects’ constitutional protections. While sworn officers can be punished for breaking those rules, he said, “It is unclear how these important safeguards would apply to civilians doing police officers’ jobs.”
Supporters say the volunteers are screened and extensively trained. In Mesa, the volunteer crime scene specialists have to demonstrate that they are competent in various types of evidence collection and, oddly, be able to lift 25 pounds. “We’re asking a lot for people we’re not paying,” said Linda Bailey, the department’s volunteer coordinator. “But these folks are handling evidence, and they have access to confidential information.”
Most departments say they do not want their volunteers to confront criminals in the act. In El Paso County, Colo., which is home to Colorado Springs, the so-called citizen patrols check out burglar alarms, but if there is any indication that a crime is under way, they are instructed to call in an actual sworn officer, Sheriff Terry Maketa said.
In Fresno, where the pilot program began last year, officials say the program was vetted by the county’s district attorney to address legal concerns. The volunteers’ shirts are a different color than the sworn officers’, and they are restricted to handling nonviolent crimes such as petty theft, stolen vehicles and vandalism that is not gang-related.
“The reality is we’ve not had any challenges yet,” Chief Dyer said.
The Fresno program has drawn a diverse roster of crime fighters, including a recent class that included an assistant golf pro, a Pizza Hut manager and Steve Aberle, a Spanish teacher with a mop of gray hair. Mr. Aberle said he went through the 11-week training course to get a taste of “the edge” of police life that he had read about in crime novels. “The whole thing is very cool,” he said.
The class also included several young men like Mr. Sarkisian who said they had volunteered as a way into a law enforcement career.
On a recent morning, Officer Kent Pichardo was training Mr. Sarkisian, part of the 40 hours that each volunteer must spend in the field with an active-duty officer. They were answering calls in Southeast Fresno, a blue-collar neighborhood where the Bulldog street gang has pockets of members. And while he looked the part — with a blue jacket over his white shirt, there was little to distinguish him for Officer Pichardo — Mr. Sarkisian seemed nervous, chewing gum, sheepishly knocking on doors and scribbling in a worn notebook. (One page was labeled “Cop Notes.”)
By the end of his shift, Mr. Sarkisian had diligently worked his way through an interview with the parent of a missing teenager. At one point, Mr. Sarkisian asked whether the girl had any identifiable marks, and the parent mentioned a tattoo of a dog’s paw.
“So she was gang-affiliated,” Mr. Sarkisian said, recognizing it as a Bulldog symbol. Officer Pichardo nodded in approval.
Officer Pichardo, a 16-year-veteran, said that volunteers like Mr. Sarkisian — who is allowed to carry a macelike spray — “could come across people who are antipolice” Still, he said, he would train Mr. Sarkisian “just as I’d train any other officer,” though he needs “to be aware of where the line stops.”
“Do I want him to make an arrest? Not really,” Officer Pichardo said. “But I want him to be an outstanding witness.”
Mark Arax contributed reporting.
States kick grandma to the curb
By Tami Luhby, senior writer
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- For the elderly, state budget cuts could mean no more daily hot meals and exercise classes to help prevent falls. At worst, some could even lose their beds at the nursing home.
These and other lifelines for seniors may disappear as governors and lawmakers slash spending to close an estimated $112 billion in budget shortfalls, advocates say.
Many state officials say they don't want to reduce senior services, but they have little choice due to massive deficits. But it's not all bad news. The funding for one senior program in Georgia was restored after legislators agreed the service was too important to cut.
Here's a look at what's at risk for many of the nation's elderly.
Shuttering nursing homes
Among the most dramatic of the proposed cuts is the severe reduction in Medicaid reimbursement rates to nursing homes in Texas. Facing a shortfall of up to $27 billion, state lawmakers want to reduce the rate by 10%. But payments to nursing homes would plummet by a total of 34% because they would also lose federal matching funds.
Happy 65th birthday, boomers. Now what?
This could result in the shuttering of 850 of the state's 1,000 nursing homes, forcing up to 45,000 elderly residents to find other accommodations, said David Thomason, chair of the Texas Senior Advocacy Coalition.
Texas nursing homes already lose money on Medicaid patients so they could not absorb another reduction, facility operators say. If rates were cut further, many would be forced to stop participating in the Medicaid program and would need to either close the buildings or convert them to other health-related uses.
As it is, Sears Methodist Retirement System in Austin has to solicit donations and charge private patients more to make up the $4 million loss it suffers on its Medicaid residents, said Keith Perry, who heads the non-profit. If the cuts go through, Sears Methodist would have to stop caring for its roughly 400 Medicaid patients, whose average age is 84.
"There's no way we could staff those facilities at those reimbursement rates," Perry said.
This scenario is terrifying Carol Poor, whose 83-year-old mother lives in an Alzheimer's unit at Christian Care Centers in Gunter, a town north of Dallas. If her mother were discharged, Poor said she would have to retire early from her secretarial job to care for her mother since neither can afford to pay for a nurse or nursing home.
"My mother worked and paid taxes all these years," said Poor. "She deserves someone to be there for her."
Texas lawmakers did not return calls seeking comment.
Losing their center
On a recent Wednesday in March, dozens of elderly New Yorkers gathered at the Clinton Senior Center in midtown Manhattan for an hour-long yoga class, followed by a hot lunch of pork chops, potatoes, and carrots.
But they soon may have to fend for themselves if New York State does not restore $27 million in funding for New York City's senior centers. Without this money, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has said he'll have to close 105 of the city's 256 centers. Clinton would be one of them.
The center's services are critical to keeping these low-income senior citizens living at home, said David Gillcrist, executive director of Project Find, which runs Clinton. They receive a nutritious meal and take classes that improve their balance, strength and confidence. Equally as important, they are able to socialize with friends and not become isolated and depressed.
All these services help keep the seniors out of hospitals and nursing homes, which would ultimately cost the city a lot more than the $367,000 it provides to Clinton, Gillcrist said.
"It makes no sense to gut one-third of the support network that lets senior citizens age independently," he said.
The city's Department of Aging is trying to blunt the impact of the cuts by maintaining as many services as possible, said a Bloomberg spokesman. But the city, which is facing a $4.6 billion shortfall, cannot make up for the elimination of the state funds.
A spokesman for Gov. Andrew Cuomo did not return an email seeking comment.
Meals on Wheels saved
Some of the most draconian cuts may never take place if state lawmakers can find money elsewhere in the budget to restore funding. This just happened in Georgia.
Senior services agencies there had a few tough weeks, when it looked like they'd lose a million dollars of funding for Meals on Wheels. Agencies prepared to stop feeding a total of 138,000 elderly residents.
Georgia reduced its support for Meals on Wheels in 2009, supplanting it with $1 million in federal stimulus money. That federal funding is running out this year. Gov. Nathan Deal did not replace it with state money.
Patricia Lyons, who runs Senior Citizens Inc. in Savannah, prepared for the worst. She asked her staff to assess whom to drop from the rolls. She wanted to make sure the most vulnerable didn't get cut, since her drivers not only deliver food, but check to make sure the elderly haven't fallen or gotten sick.
"If someone loses their meals, it's only a matter of time before they end up in a nursing home," said Lyons, who receives $500,000 from the state for Meals on Wheels. "It's more than a meal to these people. It's a lifeline."
Lawmakers agreed that the program was too important to gut. The state Assembly restored the funding in early March by cutting some other contracts in the budget, and the Senate is expected to follow suit soon.
"It's much cheaper to keep the folks at home and it's much more compassionate," said Sen. Renee Unterman, who heads the health and human services subcommittee.
Though they are grateful to have the money restored, agency directors say they need even more from the state to handle all their requests for help.
At Middle Flint Council on Aging, an agency in Americus, it can take five months for the elderly to start getting meals. The number of people on the wait list, which now stands at 472, keeps growing, said Norm Graves, the agency's director.
Graves said he tries to find alternate aid for those who come to the agency, but it's hard since all social service groups are financially strapped.
"It's a struggle to find them a care package to get them through to the next week," he said.
CONSUMER ALERT: Avoid charity scams - send relief donations to reputable organizations
The shocking images of today’s massive earthquake and tsunami in Japan may prompt generous Hoosiers to donate to disaster relief efforts to help the victims. Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller urges the public to verify before donating that relief organizations are reputable, so that they aren’t scammed. He suggests researching the website www.CharityNavigator.org to check whether a charity uses donations for intended purposes.
“In the immediate aftermath of the Haiti earthquake last year, Hoosiers reached deep into their wallets to donate and help the victims. But in that outpouring, there were concerns about new and untested relief groups suddenly appearing and soliciting donations online and by email. A few simple precautions will help prevent Hoosiers from being scammed,” Zoeller said.
Tips for donating: - Make donations to established organizations with a strong track record of organizing and providing disaster relief.
- Initiate the donation yourself, rather than responding to online or phone solicitations.
- Use the web site www.CharityNavigator.org to assist in identifying relief organizations and determining how much of their donations are used to help victims rather than on administrative overhead.
- To confirm an online donation site is secure so that your financial information won’t be improperly accessed during the transaction, look for “https” in the organization’s website.
“Natural disasters in other nations and here in Indiana – especially during tornado season – always bring out the best qualities of selflessness in Hoosiers. To help the victims of today’s tragedy, we encourage everyone to maximize their generosity by donating smartly and wisely,” Zoeller added.
Office National Drug Control Policy, Executive Office of the President
www.WhiteHouseDrugPolicy.Gov
Our Public Health Approach to the Prescription Drug Epidemic Director Kerlikowske joined public health experts and physicians at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for a joint presentation to discuss the growing epidemic of prescription drug overdoses. The presenters came together to discuss the public health and medical approaches to this alarming problem and present a collaborative approach to addressing this epidemic. More>>
Coming up, this spring the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and its national and community partners will give the public another opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. On Saturday, April 30th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. local time, DEA and its partners will hold their second National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day at sites nationwide. You can find your nearby collection site by visiting www.dea.gov, clicking on the "Got Drugs?" icon, and following the links to a database, where you can enter your zip code.
The Nationwide Prescription Drug “Take-Back” Day will occur on Saturday, April 30, 2010
Once again, the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA) has expressed our strong support for the national prescription drug “Take-Back” day. The initiative, spearheaded by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), seeks to prevent increased prescription medication abuse and theft, while educating the country on this growing epidemic.
The Nationwide Prescription Drug “Take-Back” Day will occur on Saturday, April 30, 2010, from 10AM to 2PM local time. During this initiative, the DEA will be collecting potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs for destruction at sites nationwide, free and anonymously.
The first national take-back day, held in September 2010, was a huge success, with the participation of over 3,000 state and local law enforcement agencies nationwide and more than 121 tons of pills collected during the one day event.
Prescription drug abuse and theft has become an increasing problem throughout the United States, especially among our nation’s youths. As sheriffs, it is our critical responsibility to do all that we can to educate our communities on the dangers of prescription drug abuse and misuse, and ensure the safety of all our citizens. The NSA strongly encourages sheriffs to participate in this vital initiative.
Sheriff’s Offices who wish to participate or gain further information on the “Take-Back” initiative, are encouraged to visit www.dea.gov and click on the National Prescription Drug “Take-Back” Day icon. Additionally, a link to the National Prescription Drug “Take-Back” day can also be found at www.sheriffs.org
CONGRESS HEARS ELDER ABUSE TESTIMONY.
ABC World News (3/2, lead story, 3:05, Shipman, 8.2M) reported Congress heard testimony on elder abuse Wednesday, saying as many as 3.5 million Americans are victims of it. Actor Mickey Rooney gave "wrenching testimony," saying his stepchildren bullied him and embezzled more than $400,000. ABC said America's elderly lose $2.5 billion annually due to financial abuse. NBC Nightly News (3/2, story 11, 0:55, Williams, 8.37M) also covered Rooney's testimony.
The CBS Evening News (3/2, story 8, 1:45, Cordes, 6.1M) reported elder abuse affects approximately 11 percent of America's elderly each year, "though no one knows for sure because so few report it."
In a second report, ABC World News (3/2, story 2, 1:20, Sawyer, 8.2M) described elder abuse as "an epidemic." ABC legal analyst Dan Abrams recommended that senior citizens stay in touch with their families, keep a close watch on financial documents, and make note of elder abuse hotlines.
DOCTORS SCREENING OLDER PATIENTS FOR FINANCIAL VULNERABILITY, EXPLOITATION.
The New York Times (3/3, F11, Olson, 1.01M) reports that "doctors traditionally have not been trained to recognize that confusion or forgetfulness can be signs that the patient is at financial risk, said Dr. Robert W. Parker, chief of community geriatrics in the family medicine department at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio." However, "now he, along with thousands of other doctors and medical professionals across the country, are taking part in a new effort to screen older patients for financial vulnerability as well as indications they are being exploited financially by family members, friends, or strangers." Notably, "three out of five older Americans fear death less than they fear running out of money before they die, according to a study last year by the AARP, the lobby for older Americans."
Elder Abuse Detection, Intervention Discussed.
On its website, ABC News (3/2, Metz) reported, "Each year, more than two million older Americans are victims of abuse, according to the American Psychological Association." However, "research suggests elder abuse is significantly under-reported and under-identified," and "as few as one in six cases of elder abuse come to the attention of authorities, according to the National Center on Elder Abuse." The article discussed how to recognize and respond to signs of elder abuse.
STUDY UNCOVERS CRIMINAL PASTS OF NURSING HOME WORKERS.
The New York Times (3/3, A17, Pear, 1.01M) reports, "More than 90 percent of nursing homes employ one or more people who have been convicted of at least one crime, federal investigators said Wednesday in a new report. In addition, they said, five percent of all nursing home employees have at least one criminal conviction." Notably, "the report was issued by Daniel R. Levinson, inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services, who obtained the names of more than 35,000 nursing home employees and then checked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to see if they had criminal records."
Mickey Rooney's greatest performance
Marie-Therese Connolly is the director of Life Long Justice (an Appleseed Initiative) and a senior scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
By Marie-Therese Connolly
"If elder abuse happened to me, Mickey Rooney, it can happen to anyone."
With this statement last week before the Senate Special Committee on Aging, 90-year old entertainment legend Mickey Rooney focused the nation’s attention on a growing problem that long has remained invisible.
We’ve spent countless billions to extend how long we live, but many fewer resources to ensure safety and well-being in the time we’ve gained. Our failure to address the problem means that millions of our parents and grandparents are paying the price in the form of physical, sexual and psychological abuse, neglect, abandonment, and financial exploitation.
Elder abuse occurs in nursing homes, assisted living facilities, other care settings, and, most often, at home. And it’s deadly, leading to a 300% increase in premature death.
Rooney alleges that his step-son and wife withheld food and medication, isolated and verbally abused him, and controlled his life and assets. Neither fame nor fortune protected him from a fate that befalls untold millions of others.
“I tell my residents,” said Mark Lachs, MD, co-chief of geriatrics at Weill Cornell Medical College, “that of every thirteen older patients they see, odds are, one of them is a victim of elder abuse.”
A just-released New York phone survey conducted by Weill Cornell and colleagues found that 7.6% of people 60+ experienced elder abuse, neglect or financial exploitation in the past year. (A similar nationwide survey found even higher rates.) And these phone surveys can’t capture the elders at greatest risk: those who live in facilities; who can’t answer or don’t have a phone; who are too scared to speak because an abuser is close by, or those with dementia.
Abuse rates among those with Alzheimer’s disease are higher still. A staggering 47% of people with dementia who live at home were abused or neglected by caregivers, according to a 2010 University of California, Irvine study.
Few people in Rooney’s position ever come forward which made his Senate appearance all the more significant. The New York study found that only one of every 23 cases of elder abuse ever comes to the attention of a responsible entity.
Rooney explained it this way: I felt trapped, scared, used, and frustrated. But above all, I felt helpless. For years I suffered silently. I couldn’t muster the courage to seek the help I knew I needed. Even when I tried to speak up, I was told to be quiet. It seemed like no one believed me.
The human suffering exacted by elder abuse is matched only by its immense fiscal burdens. Given its estimated price tag of countless billions/year, we can’t afford not to do something about elder abuse:
Elder abuse increases the likelihood of nursing home admission four-fold, depleting Medicare and Medicaid. Health care providers that bill for care they don’t provide (and neglect frail elders) defraud those programs. Financial exploitation pushes victims whose life savings are stolen to lose homes and rely on public programs for housing and health care. And abusive guardianships squander court resources.
A new Government Accountability Office report released last week found a dearth of resources going to address the problem and a federal leadership vacuum. Our response to elder abuse lags some 40 years behind child abuse and 20 years behind domestic violence, in part because there is no Office of Elder Justice, comparable to federal offices that have for years provided leadership, resources, and sustained attention on child abuse and domestic violence issues. Nor have private funders or not-for-profits stepped forward. The consequences of this systemic neglect are everywhere evident.
The safety net to prevent and address elder abuse is in tatters. In some jurisdictions, Adult Protective Services workers begin fieldwork with less training than a Starbucks employee receives before making her first latte. We don’t know why elder abuse occurs, how much it costs, what practices and programs are effective in addressing it, or how to detect and prevent it. We desperately need more research. Yet, according to the GAO, the National Institute on Aging spent just 1/1000th of its annual budget on elder abuse research. And the situation is similar among other federal or state agencies.
Which takes us back to Mickey Rooney. His testimony has trained a very public spotlight on elder abuse for the first time ever. The question is, will we use this sudden burst of attention to do something lasting? Will Congress and the Administration exert federal leadership, provide resources, and take the necessary smart steps to tackle the problem and build capacity among the fragmented scattershot systems? If Rooney’s dramatic testimony catalyzes such change, it will have been his finest performance yet.
How To Deal With Caregiver Theft
Identity Thieves Target Older Adults
By Susan Kostal, Caring.com senior editor
Today, people over age 50 control 70 percent of our nation's wealth. This sets older adults up for a variety of theft schemes and scams, not because they're older and weaker, but simply because they have the money, and thieves know it.
Unfortunately, well over two-thirds of the financial crimes committed against older adults are perpetrated by someone the victim has a relationship with -- a family member or paid or unpaid caregiver. This, combined with shame and embarrassment, leads to a significant under-reporting of these crimes, says Kim Connors, deputy district attorney in Santa Clara County, California, who prosecutes financial crimes against older adults.
5 Signs a Caregiver Is Stealing From You
"People are often hesitant to report these crimes to law enforcement because they know the person doing it," Connors says, "and they often really care about this person, and have a hard time separating the person they care about from the person who would commit a crime against them."
While it may seem tempting to deal with a matter privately, or through the civil courts, the best way to handle any suspected theft or fraud is to make a report to the local police department, Connors says.
The first step: reporting a theft. This can be a daunting prospect for older adults, but many local police departments and county prosecutors have special units specifically established to handle crimes committed against them. In addition, insurance companies won't investigate a theft claim unless the victim has made a police report. So the first step, as hard as it may be, is to call the local police department nonemergency line and ask that an officer be sent out to take a report. These officers are often willing to come to the person's home, so the older adult can tell her story in familiar surroundings. Another option is to call the county Adult Protective Services department. In many counties, this is part of the county Health Department. The department has social workers and other professionals adept at handling these matters, and they can help get the process started.
Should I Fire My Dad's Favorite Nurse?
The most difficult hurdle in reporting theft against an older adult is the victim's sense of personal shame and embarrassment over her own perceived failings. "People over 65 tend to be very responsible," says Connors. "Often, instead of reporting a crime, they'll sit down and think, 'What did I do wrong that I shouldn't let happen again?' They're embarrassed and take responsibility for the loss, and they see it as their own mistake. They need someone to tell them it's OK, that this isn't their fault."
Others may feel too much time has passed to report the crime. But in most states, authorities can still successfully prosecute crimes, especially financial ones where there's a paper trail, years after they're committed. In California, for example, authorities can prosecute crimes up to four years after an older adult discovers she's been victimized.
The next step: a detective gets involved. After a police officer takes an initial report, he gives that information to a detective, who will do the follow-up work. This often entails gathering the paperwork that will show a crime has been committed. If the victim knows who committed the theft, she'll likely be shown a photo lineup of suspects and be asked the pick the person who committed the crime. Again, in most cases, much of this can be done without going into the local police department. Investigations can be short, covering just a few days, or they can take months, depending on the crime and the resources of your local agency.
Once the detective has finished his work and there's enough evidence to prosecute, the matter is turned over to the county district attorney's office. Again, most counties have special units to prosecute crimes against older adults.
Compare In-Home Caregivers in Your Area
When an older adult has to go to court after her identity has been stolen. The most daunting aspect for many victims is the prospect of having to tell their story in court. But Connors says that while this indeed can be scary, it can also be an empowering experience. "They get to come into a safe environment where they're believed."
In nearly all cases -- 90 to 95 percent -- the victim can avoid going to court altogether, as these cases end in a guilty plea. Very few criminal cases actually go to a jury trial. If your friend or relative's is the rare case that does go to trial, she'll have to testify about her loss in court, and about whom she believes committed the crime. This is the only time an older victim will have to appear to court.
Connors says many older adults are worried that they'll forget dates and details and become flustered while testifying. Most prosecutors will lead the victim through the process beforehand, so they know what to expect. Additionally, the victim can read her earlier statement to police and refresh her memory about details that may have later become confused.
What to Do About a Dangerous Senior Driver
Victims, of course, can attend other hearings, and if the person charged with the crime pleads guilty or is found guilty, the victim may be asked if she wants to participate in the sentencing phase. Often, she will have already been contacted by the county probation department, which draws up a report about the crime and its impact on the victim, and then makes sentencing recommendations to the court. At the time of sentencing, the victim can attend the court hearing and tell the court how the crime affected her. Many older victims choose to read a letter they had written to the court or have the prosecutor read the letter for them.
Getting a victim's money back after her identity is stolen. Many victims believe that reporting the crime means the local authorities will be able to get all their money or assets returned to them. Although this is possible in some cases, it often is not, nor is it the job of local police or county prosecutors to "undo" the crime committed against the older adult. There are agencies, however, that will assist you and the person you're caring for in doing this. They'll have names such as Senior Adult Legal Assistance. Adult Protective Services can also aid in this process. If this fails, contact your county Legal Aid Society for help.
In many cases, the perpetrator will have already spent the stolen money, making it impossible to return it to the victim. But some simple scams can be more easily reversed. For instance, one way scam artists take control of an older adult's car is to go to the local Division of Motor Vehicles and claim a family member died and gave them the car, but no one can find the title. The unsuspecting clerk then issues a new title in the thief's name. In this instance, the problem can be corrected by a court order mandating that the department reissue the title in the original owner's name.
Likewise, if funds are stolen via credit card or through forged checks, often a bank or credit card agency will refund the money. This only applies to cases of identity theft, however, not to scams. If an older adult falls prey to such a scheme, call her bank as soon as you've made a police report to find out the bank's policy on such fraud.
Older adults can sometimes be compensated if they miss work, need psychological counseling, or have medical expenses related to the crime committed against them. In California, for example, these expenses can be reimbursed through a special victims' compensation fund. Ask your local county prosecutor if this is available where you live.
Elder fraud remains an underreported crime, Connors says. "It still isn't recognized as much as it should be. We need people to report these crimes, and we need people to talk about it among their friends so they can avoid the same difficulties." One of the most valuable aspects in reporting a crime, Connors says, is that it helps to prevent another older adult from falling victim to the same scam, or even the same perpetrator.
How to Deal With Caregiver Theft originally appeared on Caring.com.
Identity theft is No. 1 complaint of U.S. consumers
By Claudia Buck
cbuck@sacbee.com
No surprise: Identity theft is the No. 1 consumer complaint across the country. And among states, California ranks No. 3 for identity theft complaints, primarily from Central Valley residents.
That's according to the Federal Trade Commission's consumer complaint report, released this week, which showed that Florida and Arizona ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, for identity theft complaints in 2010. Of the 1.3 million consumer complaints filed with the FTC last year, more than 250,000 – or 19 percent – were for identity theft.
Other frequently cited complaint categories: debt collection, Internet services, prizes/sweepstakes/lotteries, shop-at-home sales, foreign money and counterfeit check scams, and credit cards.
Appearing for the first time in the FTC's annual compilation: "imposter scams" – in which callers pose as friends, family or officials in order to deceive people into wiring money or handing over financial information.
That category includes the so-called "grandparent scam," in which a caller poses as a desperate grandchild needing to have bail money wired to them after getting arrested in Canada. A number of Sacramentans were snagged by that type of scam last year.
For identity theft, 13 California cities landed in the Top 50 U.S. metropolitan areas with the most reported complaints per 100,000 residents. They include Bakersfield, Fresno, Madera, Merced, Modesto, Stockton and Napa.
The Sacramento/Arden Arcade/Roseville area ranked 102nd for identity theft complaints among more than 380 large metropolitan regions.
But the actual number of identity theft victims may be far larger than what appears in the FTC report, which measures only reported complaints, not actual incidents, said Joanne McNabb, chief of the state Office of Privacy Protection.
In fact, she said, the 250,000 ID theft complaints cited by the FTC represent only about 2 percent of the 8.1 million identity theft victims cited in the latest survey by Javelin Strategy & Research. She added that identity thieves have had a harder time stealing large amounts from credit cards and are instead more focused on medical ID theft.
LEARN MORE
For more details on avoiding scams or filing a complaint, go to www.ftc.gov ("Consumer Protection") or contact the state Office of Privacy Protection at www.privacy.ca.gov or (916) 651-1086.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story had an incorrect title for Joanne McNabb, chief of the state Office of Privacy Protection.
© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.
An age-old crime: scamming elderly people is on the rise
Senior citizens may avoid telling family members about incidents for fear of going to nursing homes
By Dan Morse
The Washington Post
WASHINGTON — Murders and violent crimes are down nationwide, but one kind of crime is rising steadily: scams against the elderly.
Senior citizens are low-key victims who avoid telling family members for fear of going to nursing homes or don't even report swindles for fear of having to testify in court.
"There's just a low chance of getting caught and a high chance of getting into a lot of money," said Kathleen Quinn, executive director of the National Adult Protective Services Association.
Senior citizens lose at least $2.6 billion a year to thieves, many of whom are in their own families, according to a study last year by the MetLife Mature Market Institute. And that estimate is conservative, MetLife says, given the schemes left unreported.
Officials in Washington said the number of financial exploitations against older people has remained flat, but more seniors are falling prey to offshore fake lottery- winning scams.
"There's absolutely more scamming going on," said Gail Nardi, head of adult services for Virginia's Department of Social Services. "It's outrageous to the point you say, 'Nah, that couldn't have happened.' But I see it every day."
Some cases get big headlines.
Last year, the son of New York philanthropist and socialite Brooke Astor was convicted of stealing more than $1 million while she had Alzheimer's disease.
Less known but more common are victims such as Ted and Eleanor Beattie, 96 and 92, who live in Silver Spring, Md.
Ted Beattie grew up outside Oxford, England . During World War II, he served as a payroll clerk aboard the HMS Warspite, surviving heavy battles off the coast of Europe.
The experience landed him a bookkeeping job at the British Embassy in Washington. He met Eleanor, a stenographer for the War Department, at a dance. They married in 1947 and raised four children. At 83, Beattie retired from the embassy.
By his 90s, he had received a diagnosis of dementia and agreed to assign financial power of attorney to his son Chris.
Chris Beattie knew his father enjoyed dealing with his own finances. He was hesitant to interfere. But last summer, he asked his father's bank for a printout of his parents' checking account.
What he saw - three checks, for $1,550, $1,500 and $2,000, sprinkled among smaller and more specific payments to utilities - horrified him.
His parents had hired two people who called themselves handymen. One had arrived unannounced, propped a ladder against their house, climbed up the roof and told the Beatties they needed work. Chris Beattie could find only one receipt, scrawled on a torn sheet of paper.
Chris Beattie learned his father had paid $1,550 for the purported roof work and $1,500 when the man returned and said he needed more money for the same job. Chris Beattie saw no evidence that anything had been done to the roof and took his father to the police department.
The scam happens in suburbs nationwide.
"They'll case the neighborhood," said John Creel, who investigated the Beatties' case for Montgomery County's Office of Consumer Protection. "They'll look for senior citizens, and they'll do what they can to steal money from them by offering to pave driveways, fix roofs, trim trees, whatever. Chances are, you're not getting your money's worth, or it's a total scam."
As the scams become better known, authorities are trying to help.
Robert Roush, a geriatrics professor at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, helped launch a program that encourages physicians to look out for financial abuse among their elder patients. Doctors receive a pocket guide with recommended questions to ask, including: Who manages your money day-to-day? How is that going? Do you have a will? Has anyone asked you to change it?
The doctors are asked to report suspected cases of swindling to local agencies. Many of those agencies want banks to play a more active role and require bank employees who review accounts or tellers to report suspicious behavior, such as an older customer showing up with a new friend to transfer funds.
At least 17 states and the District of Columbia require banks to do such reporting, according to the American Bankers Association.
Back at his home, Ted Beattie vows to stay put with Eleanor, even as he knows his memory is fading.
"It's not that good," he said. "That's the truth. It sort of flashes. I can remember a lot of things for years back, even my childhood, and sometimes I can't even remember what happened yesterday."
But he said he is willing to testify. "I've always trusted people for their honesty," he said. "All he wanted to do was extract money." According to a study last year by the MetLife Mature Market Institute, senior citizens lose at least $2.6 billion a year to thieves, many of whom are in their own families.
And that estimate is conservative, MetLife says, given the schemes left unreported.
Copyright 2010 Landmark
The Lowdown on Credit Monitoring
Most consumer advocates say the services are overpriced for their payback
by: Sid Kirchheimer | from: AARP Bulletin |
Q. Are credit monitoring services worth the money?
A. Not according to many consumer advocates, who maintain that at $9 to $15 a month the services are overpriced for their payback.
Such services may give you access to credit reports, scores or quick alerts if someone applies for a credit account in your name — this can enable you to block that application and avoid long-term damage to your credit standing. The services also offer education tools to help you better manage your credit.
But most services — run by the three big credit-reporting bureaus as well as third-party companies — don't guard against such dangers as someone impersonating you to get medical care or committing fraud with your Social Security number, driver's license, debit card, checking account or existing credit card.
A less expensive way to protect yourself: Take advantage of a federal law that allows you to get a free copy of your credit report from each bureau once a year — these reports will show whether anyone has applied for credit in your name. Read the free credit education material that's online at various financial websites.
To further guard against new account fraud, apply to the reporting bureaus for a credit freeze, which prevents anyone from looking at your credit report; lenders won't issue new credit if they can't first assess payback history.
Freezes are free if you're an identity theft victim (you may need to show a police report). Otherwise, the fee from each bureau ranges from $3 to $20, depending on the state you live in. If you plan to apply for credit, new insurance, utility services or other services that require your report to be checked, a freeze can be "thawed," which also costs a fee in some states. You can learn how and where to request a freeze at this Consumers Union Web page.
And anyone can put in place a free "fraud alert," which lasts 90 days but can be renewed in 90-day intervals indefinitely. Alerts mean that when lenders get a request to open credit in your name, they are supposed (but not required by law) to contact you by phone to verify that you made the request.
To request a fraud alert, contact any of the three credit bureaus:
Equifax: 1-800-525-6285; P.O. Box 740241, Atlanta, GA 30374-0241.
Experian: 1-888-397-3742; P.O. Box 9554, Allen, TX 75013.
TransUnion: 1-800-680-7289; Fraud Victim Assistance Division, P.O. Box 6790, Fullerton, CA 92834-6790.
Sid Kirchheimer writes about consumer and health issues. Have a question for Sid Kirchheimer about a new product, a new kind of bank account? Check out the Ask Sid archive. If you don’t find your answer there, send a query.
Considerations for investigations concerning the elderly victim
Officers and detectives can leverage resources designated for the elderly within local, state and federal government
There is a trend emerging in our society that requires our consideration and preparation. Some call it “the graying of America” while others call it “ageism” but no matter what you call it, law enforcement agencies need to recognize that the population in the United States is getting older and will continue to age at a rate that will challenge us to examine the current ways that we, as law enforcement, interact with the elderly.
While people 65 years and older currently comprise approximately 13 percent (40,243,713) of the U.S. population, according to United States Census Bureau predictions, that number will come close to doubling by the year 2030 (at which time that population is expected to be about 71.5 million).
What does the expanse of the elderly population mean for law enforcement? Well, for starters, it means that patrol officers will see a dramatic increase in calls for service related to the elderly. They will see an increase in calls for elder abuse, theft, traffic offenses, alcohol offenses, domestic violence, sex offenses, disorderly conduct, and sick, injured or deceased persons and still others, not mentioned here. As a result of the aging population growth, detectives or investigators will see an increase in the elderly as victims and perpetrators of crime.
Police agency standard operating procedures (as well as investigative techniques) may need to be reexamined or modified to properly approach this growing trend. Things like arrest procedures, prisoner transport processes, facility/housing accommodations, and interview and interrogation techniques may need attention, modification, or development. Specialized training may be needed to familiarize officers with some of the common problems associated with aging and some of the Federal mandates and protocols — such as the American Disabilities Act (ADA) or The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) — that are in place to protect the elderly and others. Officers and detectives will also need to familiarize themselves with resources designated for the elderly within local, state and federal government, such as the Department of Aging, Department of Social Services, or Adult Protective Services as well as those programs that are generally aimed toward helping victims of crime in order to best serve their communities.
Although, there is a lot to consider when examining the growing population of seniors in this country, I would like to focus on a few things that detectives or criminal investigators should consider when conducting a criminal investigation involving an elderly victim. For the purpose of this article I am considering an elderly victim anyone who is 65 years old or older.
Spectrum of Diminished Capacity
Unfortunately, with aging comes the potential loss or deterioration of certain faculties and attributes that the young often take for granted. It is the job of every detective or investigator to access and determine the physical condition and well being of their victim(s). With respect to the elderly, a detective will want most to determine a victim’s capacity to communicate effectively. Below are some of the challenges detectives or investigators may face when working with the elderly and some suggestions to meet those challenges. Depending on the specific age of your victim, he or she may fall within a wide spectrum of diminished capacity — from none at all to completely debilitated — so investigators need to be prepared to confront the later.
Hearing Impairment
For example, your victim may have trouble hearing, requiring you to speak loudly or repeat yourself several times as you either ask questions or attempt to reassure them. Your victim may have difficulty speaking or otherwise communicating with you. In instances like this, it is best to find a close relative, friend, neighbor, nurse, care giver or someone who is most familiar with the communication skills and techniques used by the victim and whom can assist you so that you may efficiently and effectively obtain or provide as much information as possible.
Poor Eyesight
Vision is another sense that may or may not show signs of diminishing capacity. In cases where your victim’s vision is limited, ask all of the same questions you normally would in order to obtain a detailed suspect, vehicle or weapon description. By doing this you achieve two things. First, although the suspect may not have been seen entirely by the victim, he or she may have seen enough to give you a tidbit of information that might be important to the investigation.
Second — and just as important — you show the victim the same time, attention, and dignity that you would a victim with their vision intact. Be sure to focus your questions and attention on other descriptors such as the speech or mannerisms of the suspect. Ask if the victim can recall what the suspect said (word for word if possible). Try to determine if there was anything unique about your suspect’s speech. For example, did the suspect stutter or talk with an accent?. Then direct your victim to the suspect’s mannerisms in an effort to determine if there are any unique characteristics that the victim can zero in on.
I recall working a vicious home invasion robbery case in which the lone suspect targeted and violently threw an 88-year-old female victim down a flight of stairs. She survived but had limited recall of the details of the incident. The one thing that stood out in her memory was that when the victim spoke to her, he kept his fingers near or in his mouth (similar to that of a nail biter). This particular suspect was caught after targeting another 80-year-old female victim and stealing her car. I sat down to interrogate the suspect, and as soon as he spoke his fingers went to his mouth, exactly as the first victim had described!
Memory Loss
Another factor that detectives or investigators will need to contend with when questioning the elderly is memory loss. Some victims may exhibit only a slight memory loss where it may take them some time to recall the details of an incident. In cases like this, you may want to try questioning the victim twice. The purpose of the second time is to see if the victim remembers anything else and to determine if the answers are consistent with those originally given.
Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia are two common and unfortunate ailments that can affect a victim’s memory. When confronted with victim’s suffering from these ailments, it is possible to gather some pertinent case information if the victim is in the early stages of the disease process. If they are more advanced in the process then efforts may prove fruitless. In cases like this, it is best to get as much information as you can from the victim and consider preserving it either by capturing the information in a video/audio taped interview or in writing. Cases like this will require a detective or investigator to construct the case so that all the weight does not lie solely upon victim testimony. Emphasis will need to be placed elsewhere such as recovered physical evidence, video surveillance footage or the suspect’s interview/interrogation or confession.
Unknown Motivation
Detectives and investigators also need to recognize the motivation and capacity of an elderly victim to try and deceive them. For example, false reports are something else to keep on your radar when it comes to the elderly victim. In some instances, the elderly become embarrassed by their own diminishing capacities. For example, if an elderly person were to lose their wallet due to memory loss, they may report it as theft or robbery rather than openly acknowledge they may have a problem. Or, if an elderly person falls and suffers an injury, they may want family to believe they were the victim of a random assault rather than confess some recent feelings of instability. No one looks forward to losing their independence and the elderly are no different — they too struggle with this loss and may go to great lengths to prolong or distance themselves from it.
An elderly victim may try to cover-up a crime or protect the perpetrator. In a domestic abuse case, for example, the elderly victim may attempt to attribute visible bruising to a recent fall instead of a recent beating by their spouse, significant other or child because the victim’s abuser may be the sole source of income for the household. Sending their abuser to prison may strike a chord of fear in the victim due to income or other dependency, not to mention the fear of retaliation.
Investigative Note About Bruising in the Elderly:
In 2009, the National Institute of Justice published article by Philip Bulman, Elder abuse emerges from the shadow of public consciousness, which highlighted research being conducted by Aileen Wigglesworth at the University of California (Irvine), where she studied bruising in the elderly. This gerontology study compared “normal” bruising patterns, from bumps or falls, to bruising patterns resulting from physical abuse and there were notable differences. When comparing the two types of injuries, the research indicated that abuse victims are more likely to have bruises on their head, neck, face, back and right arm.
The research specifically indicated that an “accidental” bruising was never found on the neck, ears, genitals, buttock, or soles of the feet.
Not all elderly victims are frail or disabled — some are the peak of health. Officers and detectives will make their assessments and determine the best approach to take when working with and serving the elderly victim. Detectives and investigators must be thinking about how to overcome some of the more challenging aspects of working with the elderly, specifically those who may have diminishing capacities. These suggestions mentioned are just some of the things detectives and investigators might consider — there are certainly others. In future articles I may address considerations when entering or investigating in a senior living facility or nursing home environment because that too is worth examining when one thinks of serving and protecting the elderly.
With the projected population growth, prudent detectives and investigators should be thinking about improving their knowledge of aging, their communication skills, their resources and their patience. Patience must be the underlying theme when working with an elderly victim and detectives need to be willing to invest more time in these cases compared to those involving younger victims.
About the author
Detective Morris Greenberg serves as a proud member of the Baltimore County Police in Baltimore, Maryland. Most of his career has been spent conducting criminal investigation in specialized units including Robbery, Violent Crimes and Homicide. He has also served on the department’s Hostage Negotiation Team. Detective Greenberg possesses a Master’s Degree from the Johns Hopkins University, Division of Public Safety Leadership and teaches within the Criminal Justice Programs at two local colleges.
Enhancing Use of Clinical Preventive Services Among Older Adults: Closing the Gap” is now available online.
This report calls attention to the use of potentially lifesaving preventive services by adults aged 65 years and older. These services include vaccinations, various types of screenings for cancers, diabetes, lipid disorder, and osteoporosis, as well as smoking cessation counseling, among others. The report demonstrates, through analysis of state and national data sources, that these services are underused among the older population. New opportunities in the Affordable Care Act can help increase use of these services. This joint publication of the Centers for Disease Control, the Administration on Aging, the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is available at http://www.cdc.gov/Features/PreventiveServices/Clinical_Preventive_Services_Closing_the_Gap_Report.pdf
More Senior Safety related articles are located at www.nationaltriad.org; e-news section. |
