Policy & Procedure

Instructions: Review each element and check whether or how often it applies, using the scale Always/Yes, Sometimes, Never/No, Need more information.

Framework

Our policies and procedures define elder abuse.

Our policies and procedures identify domestic abuse in later life as a common form of elder abuse.

We conduct a regular review (i.e., every one to five years) of all agency policies, procedures, and practices to determine their impact on victims of elder abuse, including victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in later life.

Content

We have policies and procedures in place to address:

Arresting a suspect with a disability, frailty, or specialized medical need

Booking and jailing a suspect with a disability, frailty, or specialized medical need

Applying dominant aggressor considerations in elder abuse investigations

Responding to reported elder abuse involving high profile offenders, including law enforcement officers

Responding when the suspect is the victim’s caregiver

Securing emergency housing for a victim of elder abuse

Stopping a perpetrator’s control and use of a victim’s assets

Responding to reported elder abuse in long term care facilities

Working with adult protective services

Working with domestic violence victim advocacy services and making referrals when a case involves domestic abuse in later life

Working with sexual assault victim advocacy services and making referrals when a case involves sexual assault in later life

Circumstances under which a victim advocate can be present during interviews and other interactions between law enforcement and a victim of elder abuse

Unless mandated by law, our policies and procedures prohibit officers from requiring that victims of elder abuse ‘press charges’ or cooperate with prosecution as a condition of law enforcement action.

Our policy requires that officers disarm perpetrators of elder abuse, when authorized by law.

Our policy prohibits reporting undocumented victims of elder abuse to federal immigration authorities.

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Additional resources