Sheriff-coroner Department County of Orange California Sandra Hutchens Sheriff-coroner September 14, 2012 Honorable*

R5

By December 31, 2012, The Sheriff's Department and city police departments should evaluate and update their programs on responding to elder abuse. Response: Agrees with recommendations Members of the Sheriff's Department have reviewed the elder abuse information in our procedure manual and found it adequate for first responders/patrol. In addition to the current information, we've added the following information to the Family Protection Detail Elder Abuse Investigator's manual; 1. Consider the cognitive status of the victim. A large number of our victims suffer from mental diseases like Dementia and Alzheimer's. Also the type of medication and serious health emergencies can impair the victim's decision making. 2. Consider the likelihood of the undue influence of the caregiver. Most the time the suspect is the caregiver whom the victim relies on to provide all their needs, including companionship. Fearing retaliation, the victim will minimize or deny any wrong doing similar to victim's in cases of domestic violence. ORANGE COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT GRAND JURY RESPONSE ELDER ABUSE: THE PERFECT STORM 3. Investigating complex cases of Elder Abuse, where it is difficult to determine if there is in fact a crime, can be difficult and exhaustive. There are numerous factors to be considered when planning our next investigative step. Utilizing the Elder Abuse Forensic Center can assist greatly when investigating these types of cases. The following is a synopsis of the Elder Abuse Forensic Center and how to best utilize this resource; The Elder Abuse Forensic Center of Orange County changes the way elder abuse cases are addressed and prosecuted. The Center is made up of a team of legal, medical, social services, and law enforcement professionals working together on complicated cases of abuse and neglect brought by participating agencies. Team members meet on a weekly basis and: Conduct multi-agency case reviews and develop action plans . Make in-home medical and mental status evaluations . Conduct in-home evidentiary investigations . Collaborate on trainings . Collaborate on research studies based on questions arising from Elder Abuse, and . disseminate findings for use by others in the field Elder Abuse Consult on strategies for addressing cases and replicate the Elder Abuse Forensic Center . model The Orange County Sheriff's Department will continue to review procedures and implement changes that will increase the effectiveness of first responders and investigations, which would result in the successful prosecution of suspected Elder Abusers.