Napa County Office of Sheriff-coroner*

The Jury found that law enforcement training on how to identify and report elder abuse is limited. Response to Finding 9: The Sheriff's Office partially agrees with this finding. Deputy Sheriffs, along with all California Peace Officers, receive training on this topic as part of Learning Domain (LD) #7 in the Regular Basic Course, commonly referred to as the "Police Academy". The training in LD-7 is comprehensive in that it includes information to identify and investigate elder or dependent adult abuse, physical pain or mental suffering, in addition to theft and fiduciary abuse. The training covers relevant Penal Code sections, crime elements, and examples. In addition, upon completion of a Police Academy, Deputy Sheriffs must successfully complete a Field Training Program (FTP). Part of a Deputy's field training covers elder abuse refresher from the Academy, as well as cross reporting to Adult Protective Services. Additionally, the Sheriff's Office has a robust Senior and Disability Victimization Policy within the Napa County Sheriff's Office Policy Manual, Policy #317, which requires that all relevant Sheriff's Office personnel are trained, and which expresses the Sheriff's Office policy to "investigate all reported incidents of alleged elder dependent adult abuse and ensure proper reporting and notification as required by law." This policy covers such topics as investigation and reporting, mandatory notification, and protective custody, among others. Training topics are specifically outlined within the policy and include multidisciplinary investigations, availability of services and specialized medical exams, cultural competence, and availability of victim advocates. This training is provided to Deputy Sheriffs, dispatchers, and civilian partners. As evidence of the value of this training, Sheriff's patrol deputies and undercover detectives recently received an award related to an undercover sting which was effective in the apprehension of a financial scam suspect and resulted in the recovery of thousands of dollars that was fraudulently taken from an elder victim.